John Terry – A Chelsea Legend
By far John Terry is the most successful player in Chelsea’s history, the man who captained the Blues more than anyone else and is unarguably one of the greatest defenders England has ever produced.
John was born on 7 December 1980 and is an English professional football coach as well as a former player who played as a centre-back. As stated above he was formerly captain of Chelsea, the England national football team and Aston Villa. John was most recently the assistant head coach at Aston Villa. Considered as one of the very best defenders in the world at his peak, John is considered as one of the greatest central defenders of his generation and one of the top English and Premier League defenders ever.
His Early Life
John was born on 7 December 1980 in Barking, UK. His parents are Sue and Ted Terry. John’s love for football started with his support for Manchester United. The best way he could kick-start his career was by mixing education with football.
John’s parents enrolled him at Eastbury Comprehensive School, where he played for their local Sunday football league team Senrab. This team at that time also featured some of the future Premier League players in the name of Sol Campbell, Jermain Defoe, Bobby Zamora, Ledley King, and Jlloyd Samuel.
As a boy, John was part of West Ham United’s youth system, signing up as a midfielder in 1991. He made the move to Chelsea at 14 and played for the club’s youth and reserve teams. Owing to a shortage of central defenders John was moved to centre-back, which is the position that he played throughout his career. After completing school, John joined the club on a YTS at the age 16 and signed professional terms a year later.
John made his Chelsea debut in October 1998 as a very late substitute in a League Cup tie match with Aston Villa. His first start came later that football season in an FA Cup third-round match with a 2–0 win over Oldham Athletic. He spent a short period on loan with Nottingham Forest in 2000 in order to build up his first-team experience and was the topic of interest for both Forest manager David Platt as well as Huddersfield Town manager Steve Bruce.
On 3 July 2017, Terry signed up for a one-year contract with Aston Villa on a free transfer. He was named as the captain for the 2017–18 season. He played his first match for Aston Villa in August 2017 in a 1–1 home draw match with Hull City in the Championship. Terry shot his only goal for Aston Villa in a 2–1 win over Fulham in the Championship in October 2017.
What Is John Doing Now?
At the moment, John is a coaching consultant at Chelsea’s youth academy, which is surely as rewarding as playing the real money pokies has to offer.
His Personal Life
John is married to his childhood sweetheart Toni (whose maiden name is Poole). They were married at Blenheim Palace in June 2007. On 18 May 2006, Terry and his wife welcomed twins, a boy and a girl, both of who will surely pick up their ball skills from their famous father.
