John Terry may divide public opinion regarding his character, but his defensive ability is unquestioned. Neither is his ability to score important goals for Chelsea, where he has spent his entire career, bar a short loan spell at Nottingham Forest. Not since his first season as a pro, back in 1998-99, has Terry gone without scoring any goals, and even then he only made seven appearances. Since then he has regularly passed five strikes, reaching a high of eight goals in the 2004-05 season. His aerial ability from set-plays is immense, and his presence in both areas is key to Chelsea's era of prosperity. Even as injuries have stalled his progress in recent seasons, the goals have kept flying in, and he has remained a talismanic force as captain and at the heart of the Chelsea defence. Terry has scored many important goals for the club, including one against Barcelona in the Champions League in the 2004-05 season, and a winning goal against Man United in 2008. Fans of other clubs undoubtedly hold mixed views on the former England captain, but is worth to Chelsea is unquestionable. For England, he also chipped in with goals, and in his 78 gaps he contributed six times. It is unlikely he will add to either tally, but time will tell, as Hodgson considers his options for the summer World Cup in Brazil.
I am from Bangor, aged 24, and possess an MA in Journalism from The University Of Ulster. I have had work published in the Belfast Telegraph and interviewed several local footballers and Olympic athletes. I also run my own sports blog, 'Sporting Thought' in addition to contributing to What Culture.
