I don't know what it is about the captain's armband at Chelsea, but it does seem to attract players as mighty in their talent as their ability to be a complete wally as people. John Terry is unquestionably the greatest captain Chelsea have ever known, A no-nonsense defender very much in the Ron Harris spirit. His reputation on the field was built on his outstanding reading of the game and fearlessness in throwing himself in front of any ball threatening his goal. With no pace to speak of, he's always relied on his brain as much as his brawn, so it's odd how many awful decisions he's had a tendency to make throughout his otherwise glorious career. Barely a year after establishing himself in the Chelsea first team in 2001, he and teammate Frank Lampard were fined by the club for mocking American tourists at Heathrow Airport in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. A year later, he was charged with assault following a fight with a nightclub bouncer, which saw him banned from England selection until being cleared of all charges. The resulting controversy saw him clean up his act under the tutelage of Gianfranco Zola and he was chosen as club captain by Jose Mourinho following the retirement of the great Marcel Desailly in 2004. Unfortunately, later years saw Terry's bad side re-emerge. He was investigated in 2009 for reportedly taking money from a reporter for a tour of the Chelsea training ground and stripped of the England captaincy in 2010 after it emerged he had an affair with the ex-girlfriend of teammate Wayne Bridge. Despite winning the captaincy back, he lost it a second time as a result of an investigation into racist abuse he had reportedly directed at Anton Ferdinand during a match. While Chelsea fans will always remember John Terry for the glory he brought to the club under his captaincy, it's a great shame his legacy has been so tarnished by foolishness elsewhere. Those are my choices for the 10 most controversial figures in Chelsea history. Agree? Disagree? Let us know in the comments below!
28-year old English writer with a borderline obsessive passion for films, videogames, Chelsea FC, incomprehensible words and indefensible puns. Follow me on Twitter if you like infrequent outbursts of absolute drivel.
