John George Terry (born 7 December 1980 in Barking, Greater London) is an English professional footballer. Terry plays in a centre back position and is the captain of Chelsea in the Premier League. Terry is also captain of the England national football team. Terry was voted best defender in the UEFA Champions League in both 2005[2] and 2008, the PFA Players' Player of the Year in 2005,[3] and was included in the FIFPro World XI for four consecutive seasons, from 2005 to 2008.[4][5][6][7] He was also named in the all-star squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the only English player to make the team.[8] He wears the number 26 shirt for Chelsea. In 2007, he became the first captain to lift the FA Cup at the new Wembley Stadium in Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Manchester United, and also the first player to score a full international goal there, scoring a header in England’s 1-1 draw with Brazil.[9] However, the 2007-08 season saw Terry and Chelsea miss out on three trophies, losing the League Cup Final to Tottenham Hotspur and Premier League and UEFA Champions League to Manchester United with Terry missing a penalty in the Champions League final shootout, sending it to sudden death. Had he scored, the European Cup would have been secured for Chelsea.[10] After the final in Moscow, teammate Frank Lampard described Terry as "a man's man".[11] Club career Early career Terry was born in Barking, East London and attended Eastbury Comprehensive School. Terry played initially for Senrab, a side that featured many future stars of the English game, including current Premiership players Sol Campbell, Jermain Defoe, Bobby Zamora, Ledley King and Jlloyd Samuel.[12] He joined Chelsea’s youth system at 14, playing for the club’s youth and reserve teams as a midfield stalwart. It was due to a shortage of central defenders that he was moved to centre-back, the position he plays today. Chelsea Early seasons Terry made his Chelsea debut on 28 October 1998 as a late substitute in a League Cup tie with Aston Villa; his first start came later that season in an FA Cup third round match, a 2-0 win over Oldham Athletic. He spent a brief period on loan with Nottingham Forest in 2000 to build up his first team experience. Terry was involved in an incident at a West London nightclub with Chelsea team mate Jody Morris and Wimbledon's Des Byrne. He was charged with assault and affray, but later cleared.[13] During the affair, he was given a temporary ban from the England national side by the FA.[14] Previously, along with Chelsea team-mates Frank Lampard, Jody Morris, Eiður Guðjohnsen and former team-mate Frank Sinclair, in September 2001 Terry was fined two weeks wages by Chelsea after drunkenly harassing grieving American tourists in the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attacks.[15][16] During his early days at Chelsea Terry shared a flat with Andrew Crofts.[17] First-team regular Terry began to establish himself in the Chelsea first team from the 2000-01 season, making 23 starts, and was voted the club’s player of the year.[18] He continued his progress during 2001-02, becoming a regular in the defence alongside club captain and French international Marcel Desailly. On 5 December 2001 he captained Chelsea for the first time, in a League match against Charlton Athletic. Chelsea reached the FA Cup final, following wins against London rivals West Ham and Tottenham in the fourth and six rounds respectively, and Fulham in the semi-final - where Terry scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory. A virus denied Terry a place in the starting line-up for the final, although he came on as a second-half substitute as Chelsea lost 2-0 to Arsenal. In season 2003-04, his performances led to him being handed the captain's armband by manager Claudio Ranieri, when Desailly was out of the side. He played well in the absence of the French international, forming a strong defensive partnership with William Gallas. Back-to-back Premierships as captain John Terry celebrating after the win of the 2006 Premier league trophyFollowing Desailly’s retirement, new Chelsea manager José Mourinho chose Terry as his club captain, a choice which was positive throughout the 2004-05 season as Chelsea won the Premier League title in record-breaking fashion with the best defensive record in Football League history with the most clean sheets and the most points accrued. His new Partnership with former Porto defender Ricardo Carvalho gave Chelsea the best defense in Europe.[19] He was voted Player of the Year by his fellow professionals in England[3] and scored eight goals, including a late winner against Barcelona, in the UEFA Champions League. He was voted the best defender in the Champions League for the season.[2] In September 2005 he was selected as a member of the World XI at the FIFPro awards. The team was chosen by a vote of professional footballers based in 40 countries.[4] Chelsea defended their Premier League title in 2005-06, earning 91 points, and confirming the title with a 3-0 victory against Manchester United. Recent seasons John Terry training with ChelseaIn a match on 14 October 2006 against Reading, Terry had to take over in goal for Chelsea after both of Chelsea’s usual keepers, Petr Čech and Carlo Cudicini were injured in the game. He wore the number 40 shirt belonging to third-choice goalkeeper Henrique Hilário. However, as the game continued for only a little over a minute, Terry did not have a single save to make — in fact, his goalkeeping experience was limited to taking a free-kick from inside the penalty area. Chelsea managed to hang on to a one-goal lead and win the game and Terry kept a clean sheet. On 5 November 2006, playing against Tottenham Hotspur, Terry was sent off for the first time in his Chelsea career. He received two yellow cards as Chelsea lost at White Hart Lane for the first time since 1987. Terry was charged with misconduct by the F.A. for questioning the integrity of match referee Graham Poll after the game. On 10 January 2007, John Terry was ordered to pay £10,000 for the inappropriate conduct after he changed his mind and pleaded guilty to the FA. In the 2006-2007 season Terry missed matches for Chelsea due to a recurring back problem. After the tie to Reading on 26 December 2006, José Mourinho stated that his captain may require surgery to fix the problem. In the games that he had missed, Chelsea had conceded six goals. On 28 December Chelsea released a press statement saying Terry had had back surgery: "The operation to remove a sequestrated lumbar intervertebral disc was successful."[20] Although he was expected to return at the game against Wigan Athletic, Terry was missing once again, due to the recurring back problem. He made his return against Charlton Athletic on 3 February 2007. He played his first 90 minutes of football for nearly three months against Middlesbrough and received much applause from the Chelsea faithful. Playing in the UEFA Champions league last-sixteen away against Porto, he suffered another injury, this time to his ankle, and was set to miss the 2007 League Cup Final against Arsenal, but managed to recover from the injury within days, however he recovered and played in the final. During the second half of the match, at an attacking corner, he threw himself at the ball with a diving header; Arsenal’s Abou Diaby, in an attempt to clear the ball, kicked Terry in the face. Terry was unconscious for several minutes, at which point he nearly swallowed his tongue. He was carried off the field on a stretcher and immediately transferred to the University Hospital of Wales, where he was successfully treated. Terry discharged himself the same day and returned to the Millennium Stadium to celebrate his team’s 2-1 win. The only recollection he had of the second half is walking out onto the pitch and he did not remember the 10 minutes he played prior to his injury.[21] Following the incident, Terry thanked the Arsenal physiologist Gary Lewin for saving his life.[22] Lewin was the first medic that rushed over to assist him after his tongue had blocked his airways. After spending two weeks on the sidelines, he made his return to the Chelsea team against Blackburn in March. He went on to lead Chelsea to the semi-finals of the Champions League, the third time in four years that Chelsea had made it to the final four of the competition. In May 2007, Terry captained Chelsea to the FA Cup, in the first final at the new Wembley Stadium. Chelsea players after a match in 2009. Players from left to right : Ballack, Alex, Essien, and Ashley Cole.Despite failing to agree terms to a new contract immediately following the 2006–2007 season, Terry stated on several occasions that he had no intention of leaving Chelsea. In late July he signed a new five-year contract[23] with a base salary of between £131,000[24] and £135,000[25] per week, making him the highest-paid player in the Premier League at the time.[25] Frank Lampard's contract with Chelsea, signed in August 2008, surpassed Terry's with Lampard earning £151,000 a week to become the highest-paid player in the Premier League.[26] On 16 December 2007 whilst playing against Arsenal, while going to clear a ball Terry’s foot was stepped on by Emannuel Eboue and Terry had suffered 3 broken bones in his foot. He was expected to be out for at least three months but made a speedy recovery and managed to captain Chelsea to the 2008 League Cup final against Tottenham, which Chelsea lost 2-1. On 11 May 2008 whilst playing in the last league game of the season against Bolton, he collided with goalkeeper, Petr Čech, and suffered a partially dislocated elbow which was put back in while in the ambulance on the way to hospital. This injury didn't prevent him playing in the Champions League final against Manchester United. The match went to penalties, and Terry missed a penalty which would have won Chelsea the match (and the Champions League). His standing leg slipped as he took his kick, and the ball missed the goal. Chelsea lost the shootout 6-5, which Terry reacted to by breaking down in tears. On 28 August 2008, Terry was awarded the Defender of The Year award from UEFA at the UEFA Champions League Group Stage Draw in Monaco, together with Frank Lampard and Petr Čech who received the award on their respective positions. On 13 September 2008, Terry received the first straight red card of his career against Manchester City for rugby-tackling Jô. However, this was later rescinded on appeal.[27] Despite being a defender, he occasionally scores important goals for Chelsea, such as in the Champions League Group A home game against A.S. Roma in the 2008-2009 season.[28] However, Chelsea went on the lose the away leg 3-1.[29] Along with Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and Petr Čech, Terry is regarded as a part of the spine of the Chelsea team. He has won seven trophies as Chelsea captain (one more than Dennis Wise)[30] Being an English player who came through the club’s youth system, he is especially popular with Chelsea fans.[31] In July 2009, Manchester City made a third bid for Terry, but Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti has insisted Terry will remain at Chelsea.[32]. John Terry made his debut for the new season against Premier League side Hull City, a match Chelsea won. On the 8th of November 2009, Terry scored the decisive goal in Chelsea's match against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge to preserve their perfect home record for the season. International career Terry in a friendly match against Spain on 11 February 2009.Terry was the captain of the England national team under Steve McClaren and he made his debut in June 2003 against Serbia and Montenegro. On August 20, 2003, Terry made his full international debut for England at Portman Road, Ipswich, in a friendly against Croatia. England won the game 3-1. His main defensive partner is Rio Ferdinand. He played for his country at Euro 2004, and England Manager Sven-Göran Eriksson stated that Terry was the first-choice centre back, ahead of Sol Campbell.[citation needed] In a FIFA World Cup Qualifying match against Poland, Terry had the honour of wearing England’s captain armband, replacing Michael Owen as captain after the latter was subbed. He has cemented his place in the England squad by being selected for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In a warm-up match for that tournament against Hungary on 30 May 2006, Terry scored his first goal for England, the team’s second in a 3-1 victory. Despite an injury scare in a friendly against Jamaica, he recovered to play in England’s opening fixture against Paraguay, a 1-0 victory. In the next match against Trinidad and Tobago, Carlos Edwards beat England’s Paul Robinson to a cross and as Stern John bundled a header towards the goal, Terry cleared the ball off the line with an overhead kick. In the quarter-finals match against Portugal, Terry played the entire match, but England lost on penalties and he was left in tears with his fellow players. Six days later, he was the only English player to be named in the tournament’s all-star squad.[8] On 10 August 2006, Steve McClaren named John Terry as the England captain, succeeding David Beckham. McClaren said, "Choosing a captain is one of the most important decisions a coach has to make. I’m certain I’ve got the right man in John Terry. I’m convinced he will prove to be one of the best captains England has ever had."[33] Terry scored a goal on his debut as the England captain, in a friendly international against Greece. This was the first goal of the match and, as such, the first goal during McClaren’s reign as manager. When celebrating he kissed his new captain’s armband. However, with Terry as captain, England did not qualify for Euro 2008 — their first absence from a tournament finals since the 1994 World Cup. Midway through the qualification campaign, Terry had accepted that he would "bear full responsibility" should England fail to qualify.[34] On 1 June 2007, Terry became the first player in the senior England team to score an international goal at the new Wembley Stadium when he scored England’s goal in a 1-1 draw with Brazil. He scored from a header in the box after a free kick cross by David Beckham. Almost a year later, he scored a similar headed goal once again from a freekick cross by David Beckham to put England 1-0 up against the USA on 28 May 2008. Terry was confirmed as the England captain in August, and will captain England in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup. During his first match after being reinstated as the permanent England captain he was given a torrid time by Milan Baros and was turned far too easily when Baros scored the first goal for the Czech Republic. The match ended 2-2 with Joe Cole scoring a fortunate equaliser for England in the 92nd minute of the game. He scored his first competitive England goal against Ukraine in the qualifiers for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, grabbing a late winner after earlier giving away a free kick which saw Andriy Shevchenko equalise for Ukraine. Personal life Terry currently lives in Oxshott, Surrey. He and his wife Toni Poole Terry[35] are the parents of twins, a boy (Georgie John) and a girl (Summer Rose) born on 18 May 2006. Terry celebrated their birth when scoring for England against Hungary, when he performed a baby-rocking celebration. The couple married at Blenheim Palace on 15 June 2007[36] in a magazine coverage deal, and requested Harrods gift vouchers as wedding presents. After the wedding, the couple enjoyed a two week honeymoon on Roman Abramovich's super yacht Pelorus in the Mediterranean.[37] His hobbies include golf, swimming, football, squash and darts. Terry also has an older brother, Paul, who is also a professional footballer currently with Conference National side Rushden & Diamonds. Sponsorship Terry is the main face alongside Michael Owen for the Umbro sportswear brand often introducing new brand lines and products as well as new England kits. He has also appeared in adverts for Samsung, Nationwide and Swedish betting company Svenska Spel, as well as being in a sponsorship deal with football gaming series Pro Evolution Soccer. On the UK version of Pro Evolution Soccer 6, he appears on the front cover with Brazil international Adriano.