John Terry: Chelsea Player 1995 to 2017

When it comes to the history of Chelsea Football Club, John Terry’s name will be written large. In spite of the fact that he, like Frank Lampard, came through West Ham United’s youth system, he is considered to be ‘Mr Chelsea’ by many and is the most successful captain in the club’s history. By the time he left the club he had won five Premier Leagues and five FA Cups, three League Cups, the Champions League and the Europa League winners’ medals. Whilst his time in football was marred by controversy, including accusations of racist abuse, Terry retired as a genuine club legend who played for the Blues at exactly the right time.

John Terry’s Honours as a Chelsea Player

Who is John Terry?

John George Terry was born on the seventh of December 1980 in Barking, East London. Attending Eastbury Comprehensive School, he played for the local Sunday league side Senrab and then joined the West Ham United youth system in 1991. He was a midfielder at the time, but when he signed for Chelsea as a 14-year-old, joining the Blues’ youth system from the Hammers’, he was moved back to play in defence owing to a shortage of players in the position. It proved to be a work of genius, with Terry continuing in the position throughout his career. When he left school at 16 he joined the club on a Youth Training Scheme.

Breaking Into the Chelsea Team

Having joined Chelsea officially on a YTS as a 16-year-old, John Terry signed professional terms with the club about a year later. His debut for the Blues came came on the 28th of October 1998, coming on as a late substitute against Aston Villa in the League Cup. Later in the season he enjoyed his first start, this time in an FA Cup third round match against Oldham Athletic. In 2000, a decision was taken to try to get Terry some more first-team experience, so he was sent on loan to Nottingham Forest. It worked, with Terry earning a place in the Chelsea team during the 2000-2001 campaign when he started 23 games, being named the club’s Player of the Year.

He continued his progress the following season, although he also got in trouble for harassing grieving Americans in the immediate aftermath of the September 11th attacks. He was fined two weeks wages by the club, but continued to be selected in defence alongside Frenchman Marcel Desailly. His first experience captaining Chelsea came on the fifth of December 2001 during a Premier League match against Charlton Athletic. Chelsea defeated London rivals West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham on the way to the FA Cup final, which Terry came on in as a substitute as the Blues lost 2-0 to another London rival in Arsenal.

Becoming Chelsea Captain

Having established himself as an important player in the Chelsea side, Claudio Ranieri decided to make John Terry the vice-captain to Desailly. He soon formed a good partnership with William Gallas, but off-the-field issues remained. In 2002 he was charged with assault and affray following an altercation with a bouncer in a nightclub. Ahead of the 2004-2005 season, José Mourinho was appointed as the Chelsea manager and, in spite of spending hundreds of millions of Russian owner Roman Abramovich’s money, the Portuguese boss decided to give Terry the captaincy on a permanent basis. It was an inspired choice, with Terry helping the Blues to win the Premier League for the first time.

In the same season, Chelsea made it to the semi-finals of the Champions League, losing to eventual winners Liverpool. In the Premier League, however, the club set records for the most clean sheets and the most points won, with Terry being named the Players’ Player of the Year. He was also voted as the Best Defender in the Champions League, as well as being selected in the FIFPRO World XI. The Blues managed to defend their Premier League title in the 2005-2006 season, gaining 91 points. In the early stages of the following season, Terry had to go in goal when both Petr Čech and Carlo Cudicini and Chelsea had no substitutes left, keeping a clean sheet.

Terry suffered from back problems during the 2006-2007 season, with Mourinho fearing he might need surgery. In the end, that’s exactly what happened, with surgery to remove a sequestrated lumbar intervertebral disc taking place. Another injury occurred against Porto in the Champions League, with fears being that he’d miss the League Cup final against Arsenal. He made it back, but when he attempted a diving header in the second-half, Abou Diaby attempted to clear it and kicked him in the head. It knocked him clean out and he nearly swallowed his tongue, needing to be rushed to hospital as a result. He discharged himself, returned to Wembley to celebrate a 2-1 win.

New Contracts & Further Success

Terry failed to agree a new contract at the end of the 2006-2007 season, but in the July of 2007 he signed a new five-year deal worth between £131,000 to £135,000 a week, which made him the best-paid player in the Premier League at the time. He captained the club in another cup final when the Blues lost the League Cup to Tottenham Hotspur in 2008. He was also the captain for the Champions League final against Manchester United, missing his penalty in the shootout and handing the win to the Red Devils. Such were his performances for the Blues that Manchester City, who had been taken over by Sheikh Mansour, made regularly attempts to buy him.

On the ninth of May 2010, Terry was the captain for Chelsea as the club beat Wigan Athletic 8-0 to secure the club’s fourth Premier League title. He also captained the Blues to an FA Cup final win against Portsmouth a week later. On the 21st December 2011, Terry set a record for Chelsea when he was the captain for the 400th time in a game against Aston Villa. In spite of the fact that he was a defender, he was third in the world behind Xavi at Barcelona and Swansea City’s Leon Britton for players with more than 1,000 passes in 2011. A knee to Alexis Sánchez saw Terry sent off in the semi-final of the Champions League against Barcelona.

Even so, the Blues won 3-2 on aggregate and set up a final against Bayern Munich, which Terry would miss. Chelsea won on penalties, with Terry appearing in his full kit in order to lift the trophy and take part in the celebrations. In 2012, Terry was found guilty by the Football Association of racially abusing Aton Ferdinand, being issued with a four-match ban as a result. In his first game back he suffered knee ligament damage, which meant that he missed the FIFA Club World Cup. On the 13th of May 2014 he signed a new contract with the club, remaining for another year, then a few months later he captained his 500th match.

Leaving Chelsea

Although Terry’s injury record and age meant that his time at the club was coming to an end, he was still an important figure. He scored the opening goal in Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup final in March 2015, for example, signing another one-year contract extension later in the month. In the May, Terry scored against Liverpool to become the Premier League’s highest ever scoring defender. It looked as if his time at the club was up when he announced on the first of February that he would be leaving the club at the end of the season, but instead he signed a one-year contract to take him to the end of the 2016-2017 campaign.

It proved to be a good decision, with Chelsea winning yet another Premier League title with Terry as the club captain, this time thanks to the management of Antonio Conte. On the 21st of May 2017, Terry played his last game for the Blues, which was also the 717th time he had appeared for the club. He received a guard of honour from his teammates. He then signed a one-year contract with Championship side Aston Villa, leaving the club at the end of the season after they failed to win the Championship play-off final. Although he was offered a contract by Spartak Moscow, he turned it down and retired from football on the seventh of October 2018.