Captain. Leader. Legend. This is how most Chelsea fans and personnel, both past and present, would describe the man who was at the heart of their defence for the greater part of 19 years. Well, maybe not Wayne Bridge, but almost everyone else associated with Chelsea Football Club.
Terry would first captain Chelsea on December 5, 2001, holding the armband for 15-and-a-half years till his exit in 2017. He would go on to score 67 goals for Chelsea, none more important than his late winner against Barcelona in the 2004-’05 Champions League.
Damien Duff’s late corner was headed into the far corner by Terry, handing Chelsea a 4-2 win on the night and a 5-4 majority on aggregate. This goal would send Chelsea into the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
That year was also Terry’s highest-scoring year in a Chelsea shirt, with the captain plundering eight goals for the Blues. Chelsea would go on to win the first of five Premier League titles under Terry’s reign the same year.
He would match that haul of eight goals at the age of 35 in the 2014-’15 season, again leading his team to a league title. Five FA Cups, three League Cups, one Europa League and that famous Champions League win in Munich were also added to the trophy cabinet of the current Aston Villa assistant coach.
Watch 10 of his best goals: