John Terry

For other people named John Terry, see John Terry (disambiguation).

John Terry

Terry lining up for England in 2012
Personal information
Full name	John George Terry
Date of birth	(1980-12-07) 7 December 1980
Place of birth	Barking, London, England
Height
Position(s)	Centre-back
Team information
Current team	Chelsea
Number	26
Youth career
	Senrab
1991–1995	West Ham United
1995–1998	Chelsea
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1998–	Chelsea	483	(40)
2000	→ Nottingham Forest (loan)	6	(0)
International career‡
2000–2002	England U21	9	(1)
2003–2012	England	78	(6)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:04, 7 May 2016 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 7 September 2012

John George Terry (born 7 December 1980) is an English professional footballer who plays for and captains Chelsea. He commonly plays as a centre back. He was also captain of the England national football team, holding the post from August 2006 to February 2010, and again from March 2011 to February 2012.

A strong, tenacious, commanding and physical defender, Terry excels in the air and is known for his aggressive tackling, positioning, leadership and his ability to read the game; he is considered to be one of the best central defenders of his generation. Terry was named UEFA Club Defender of the Year in 2005, 2008 and 2009, PFA Players' Player of the Year in 2005, and was included in the FIFPro World XI for five consecutive seasons, from 2005 to 2009. He was also named in the all-star squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the only English player to make the team.

Terry is Chelsea's most successful captain, having led them to four Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups and one UEFA Champions League title since 2004. He is one of five players to have made over 500 appearances for Chelsea and is also the club's all-time highest scoring defender. 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 an international goal there, scoring a header in England's 1–1 draw with Brazil.

Club career

Early career

Born in Barking, east London, Terry attended Eastbury Comprehensive School and played for local Sunday League side Senrab, which also featured future Premier League players Sol Campbell, Jermain Defoe, Bobby Zamora, Ledley King and Jlloyd Samuel. As a boy, he initially was part of West Ham United's youth system, joining them as a midfielder in 1991. He moved to Chelsea at 14, playing for the club's youth and reserve teams. It was due to a shortage of central defenders that he was moved to centre-back, the position he plays today. After finishing school, he joined the club on a YTS at age 16 and signed professional terms a year later.

Early time with Chelsea

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 and was the subject of interest from both Forest manager David Platt and Huddersfield Town manager Steve Bruce.

In 2002, Terry was involved in an altercation with a bouncer at a West London nightclub with Chelsea teammate Jody Morris and Wimbledon's Des Byrne, which led to him being charged with assault and affray. In August 2002 Terry was acquitted of the charges in court. During the affair, he was given a temporary ban from the England national side by the FA. Previously, along with Chelsea teammates Frank Lampard, Jody Morris, Eiður Guðjohnsen and former teammate 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. During his early days at Chelsea, Terry shared a flat with Andrew Crofts.

First-team breakthrough

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. 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 United and Tottenham Hotspur 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 the 2003–04 season, 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.

Captaincy and successes

Terry celebrates winning the 2004–05 Premiership with Eiður Guðjohnsen and Frank Lampard.

John Terry celebrating after the win of the 2006 Premier league trophy

Following Desailly's retirement, new Chelsea manager José Mourinho chose Terry as his club captain, a choice which was vindicated 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. He was voted Player of the Year by his fellow professionals in England 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. 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.

Chelsea defended their Premier League title in 2005–06, earning 91 points, and confirming the title with a 3–0 victory against Manchester United.

In a match on 14 October 2006 against Reading, Terry had to take over in goal for Chelsea in the final minutes of the match after goalkeepers Petr Čech and Carlo Cudicini were injured and Chelsea had no substitutes remaining. He wore the number 40 shirt belonging to third-choice goalkeeper Henrique Hilário. Terry kept a clean sheet as Chelsea held out to win 1–0, although he did not have a single save to make and his goalkeeping experience was limited to taking a free-kick from inside the penalty area. On 5 November 2006, playing against Tottenham Hotspur, Terry was sent off for the first time in his Chelsea career after receiving two yellow cards as the Blues lost at White Hart Lane for the first time since 1987. Terry was charged with misconduct by the FA for questioning the integrity of match referee Graham Poll after the game. On 10 January 2007, Terry was ordered to pay £10,000 for the inappropriate conduct after he changed his mind and pleaded guilty to the FA.

In the 2006–07 season Terry missed matches for Chelsea due to a recurring back problem. After a draw with Reading on 26 December 2006, José Mourinho stated that his captain might 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." 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 round of 16 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 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. 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 ten minutes he played prior to his injury. Following the incident, Terry thanked the Arsenal physiologist Gary Lewin for saving his life. 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 Rovers 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.

Despite failing to agree terms to a new contract immediately following the 2006–07 season, Terry stated on several occasions that he had no intention of leaving Chelsea. In late July he signed a new five-year contract with a base salary of between £131,000 and £135,000 per week, making him the highest-paid player in the Premier League at the time. 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.

John Terry warming up for a match against Sunderland in November 2008.

On 16 December 2007 whilst playing against Arsenal, while going to clear a ball Terry's foot was stepped on by Emmanuel Eboué 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 eventually put back into place en route to the hospital. This injury did not 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 Champions League group stage draw in Monaco, together with Frank Lampard and Petr Čech, who received the award for 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. Despite being a defender, he occasionally scores important goals for Chelsea, such as in the Champions League Group A home game against Roma. However, Chelsea went on to lose the away leg 3–1.

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) Being an English player who came through the club's youth system, he is especially popular with Chelsea fans.

Double and Champions League

In July 2009, Manchester City made a third bid for Terry, but Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti insisted Terry would remain at Chelsea. Before the start of the season, Terry was again awarded with UEFA Defender of the Year, his third time winning the award. He made his debut for the new season against Premier League side Hull City, a match Chelsea won.

Terry celebrates with manager Carlo Ancelotti.

On 8 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.

On 9 May 2010, Terry captained Chelsea as they won their fourth League title after an 8–0 win against Wigan Athletic at Stamford Bridge. A week later, on 15 May 2010, Terry captained Chelsea as he won his fourth FA Cup medal, defeating Portsmouth in the final by 1–0 at Wembley.

On 31 December 2011, in a home match against Aston Villa, Terry captained the Chelsea side for the 400th time of his career, a record for the club.

Terry was the world's third best passer in 2011 for players with over 1000 passes, with a 91.6% pass accuracy rate. Only Barcelona player Xavi (93.0%) and Swansea City player Leon Britton (93.3%) were better.

Terry celebrating the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League title

On 24 April 2012, Terry was sent off for violent conduct after driving a knee into Barcelona's Alexis Sánchez in an off-the-ball incident in the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League semi-final at the Camp Nou. Chelsea's 3–2 aggregate victory over the holders qualified them for the final against Bayern Munich, for which Terry would be suspended. Terry later apologised for letting his teammates and Chelsea fans down. Terry scored his sixth league goal of the season, seventh in all competitions, in the final game of the season, a 2–1 victory over already-relegated Blackburn. The goal meant that it was Terry's most prolific season and he told the Chelsea website, "I am delighted with seven... It's always good to end a league season with a win."

Even though Terry was suspended for the Champions League Final, along with teammates Ramires, Branislav Ivanović and Raul Meireles, he took part in celebrations at the final whistle after Chelsea triumphed 4–3 on penalty kicks, with striker Didier Drogba netting the decisive penalty. His celebrations led to a popular internet meme lampooning the fact that Terry wore full kit despite not playing in the game.

Later career

Terry and Didier Drogba in 2014.

Terry was snubbed by Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand in the pre-match handshake against QPR. Terry was banned for four games when he was found guilty of racially abusing Ferdinand.

On 11 November 2012, in his first game back from the four-match ban, Terry scored his 50th goal for Chelsea against Liverpool. He went off injured in the 39th minute of the same match and was suspected to have ligament damage on his right knee, but a scan the next day showed that there was "no significant damage." On 7 December 2012, new Chelsea manager Rafael Benítez confirmed Terry would not be back from injury in time to play in the Club World Cup. Terry's knee injury kept him out of action for 16 first-team games in total, including the Club World Cup defeat. He made a 45-minute comeback for Chelsea's Under-21 side on 10 January, before returning to the first team in a 2–2 draw away to Brentford in the FA Cup Fourth Round on 24 January.

On 17 April 2013, Terry scored twice in the derby match against Fulham that ended 3–0.

Terry scored his 54th goal in all competitions for Chelsea against Tottenham Hotspur on 28 September 2013. On 13 May 2014, Terry signed a new one-year deal with the Blues.

On 18 October 2014, Terry captained Chelsea for the 500th time against Crystal Palace. In the next match, on 21 October, Terry scored in Chelsea's record Champions League win against Slovenian side Maribor. Later, he scored Chelsea's fastest-ever goal in the Champions League by heading in a goal after 90 seconds against Schalke 04.

In the League Cup final on 1 March 2015, Terry opened the scoring was named Man of the Match in Chelsea's 2-0 victory over Tottenham. On 26 March, Terry signed one-year extension to his contract. On 26 April, Terry, along with five of his Chelsea teammates, was voted into the PFA Premier League Team of the Year. On 29 April, Terry became the joint highest-scoring defender in the Premier League with 38 goals, having scored the second goal in a 3–1 win over Leicester City. On 10 May, Terry surpassed David Unsworth as the highest-scoring defender in the Premier League after scoring his 39th in the opening five minutes against Liverpool, an eventual 1–1 draw.

On 23 August 2015, Terry received his first league red card for over five years, being dismissed for a foul on Salomón Rondón in a 2–3 win at West Bromwich Albion. On 15 January 2016, Terry scored his first goal of the season in the 98th minute earning a 3–3 draw against Everton. On 1 February 2016, Terry announced he will leave Chelsea this summer, saying "It's not going to be a fairytale ending."

On 18 May 2016, Terry signed a new one-year contract to remain at Chelsea.

International career

Terry playing for England in 2010

Terry made his England debut in June 2003 against Serbia and Montenegro, and started his first game for England on 20 August 2003 at Portman Road, Ipswich, in a friendly against Croatia. England won the game 3–1. His main central defensive partner has been 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.

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.

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." 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 also 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.

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 United States on 28 May 2008.

Terry was confirmed as the England captain in August, and captained 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 Baroš 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 World Cup, grabbing a late winner after earlier giving away a free kick which saw Andriy Shevchenko equalise for Ukraine.

On 5 February 2010, following allegations regarding Terry's private life, England manager Fabio Capello announced that Terry was removed as the captain of the England team. He was replaced by fellow defender Rio Ferdinand.

At the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals, England started with two draws against the United States and Algeria, which received heavy criticism from the English media.

Terry (right) attempts to block a shot from Italy's Mario Balotelli at UEFA Euro 2012.

Two days after the Algeria game in a media interview, Terry hinted at dissatisfaction with Capello's team selection and stated that the players were bored with little to do in the evenings at their training base; he also said that a clear-the-air team meeting would take place that evening. The next day, Capello responded by saying that Terry had made "a very big mistake" in challenging his authority to the media.

On 19 March 2011, Capello reinstated Terry as England captain following a long-term injury to previous captain Rio Ferdinand. On 3 February 2012, with Terry due to stand trial due to allegations that Terry had racially abused QPR's Anton Ferdinand, the FA stripped Terry of the England captaincy for the second time. This led to Capello resigning.

Terry was named in new manager Roy Hodgson's squad for Euro 2012 while Rio Ferdinand was left out, leading to heavy speculation that this was to avoid potential conflict due to Terry's upcoming trial for racially abusing Ferdinand's brother Anton. Terry played 90 minutes in all four of England's matches at the Euros.

Terry played the first World Cup Qualifying game against Moldova before leaving the field with an ankle injury meaning he missed the game against Ukraine.

Terry announced on 23 September 2012 he had retired from international football.

International goals

#	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	30 May 2006	Manchester, England	23	Hungary	2–0	3–1	Friendly match
2	16 August 2006	Manchester, England	30	Greece	1–0	4–0	Friendly match
3	1 June 2007	London, England	38	Brazil	1–0	1–1	Friendly match
4	28 May 2008	London, England	44	United States	1–0	2–0	Friendly match
5	19 November 2008	Berlin, Germany	48	Germany	2–1	2–1	Friendly match
6	1 April 2009	London, England	51	Ukraine	2–1	2–1	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification

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.

Family and personal life

John Terry with mascot children

He and his wife Toni (née Poole) are the parents of twins, Georgie John and Summer Rose, born on 18 May 2006 in Westminster, London. 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. In 2009, Terry was named "Dad of the Year" after he came top of a poll of UK adults in a Daddies Sauce survey. Terry has said that his children are fans of Lionel Messi.

Terry's older brother, Paul (born 1979), is also professional footballer currently with Conference South side Thurrock F.C.. Terry currently lives in Oxshott, Surrey.

Terry was a Manchester United supporter growing up. Terry revealed in a 2005 interview that he has to go through about 50 superstitious rituals before each game.

Terry is one of a very small group of footballers to have been paid more than £1 million for their autobiography. His deal with publisher Harper Collins was negotiated in 2004 by Chris Nathaniel of NVA Management.

Terry is friends with Australian snooker player Neil Robertson.

In 2016, Terry paid the £1,600 funeral costs for an eight-year-old Chelsea fan with leukaemia who died from an unsuccessful bone marrow transplantation.

Legal issues

In September 2001, Terry and three teammates were fined two weeks' wages by Chelsea for an incident involving players and American tourists at a Heathrow airport bar in the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attacks. In January 2002 Terry, Chelsea team mate Jody Morris and Des Byrne of Wimbledon were charged with assault and affray after a confrontation with a nightclub bouncer. Terry was banned from selection for the England team for the duration of the case, though he was ultimately cleared of all charges. In the same month, Terry was fined £60 for parking his Bentley in a disabled bay. In 2009, Terry was investigated by Chelsea and the FA for allegedly taking money from an undercover reporter for a private tour of Chelsea's training ground. The club responded that it was "confident that at no time did Terry ask for or accept money in relation to visits to the training ground."

Extramarital affair allegations

Further information: John Terry (previously 'LNS') v Persons Unknown

In January 2010, a super-injunction was imposed by a High Court judge preventing the media from reporting allegations that Terry had had a four-month affair in late 2009 with Vanessa Perroncel, the former girlfriend of Wayne Bridge, his former Chelsea and England teammate. The injunction was lifted a week later, and the British media – especially the tabloid press – covered the rumours in great detail in the days following. The News of the World and the Mail on Sunday subsequently printed apologies to Perroncel for breaching her privacy and stated that the story was "untrue in any case". Perroncel maintains that the alleged affair never took place. The allegations led to then-England manager Fabio Capello removing Terry from the captaincy on 5 February 2010, replacing him with Rio Ferdinand. Terry was reinstated as captain the following year.

Racial abuse allegations

Further information: R v John Terry

Terry warming up for Chelsea in 2013

On 2 November 2011, Terry was placed under police investigation following an allegation of racist abuse made at Anton Ferdinand during a match versus Queens Park Rangers. Video footage circulated on the internet led to accusations that Terry called Ferdinand a "fucking black cunt." In response to the video footage, Terry claimed that he was actually asking Ferdinand, "Oi, Anton, do you think I called you a black cunt?" On 25 November 2011, Terry was interviewed under caution by the police. On 21 December 2011, he was charged with using racist language by the Crown Prosecution Service. On 3 February 2012, the FA stripped Terry of his England captaincy for the second time, stating that Terry would not captain the national team until the racial abuse allegations against him were resolved.

When the trial began in July 2012, Terry entered a not guilty plea and was acquitted of the charge on 13 July 2012. The court established that neither Ferdinand nor anyone else had heard Terry's words, but Terry himself admitted that he had directed the words "fucking black cunt" and "fucking knobhead" at Ferdinand, which was affirmed by two expert lip readers from video evidence. Terry maintained that he used the words as a form of sarcasm and that he was questioning what he thought had been an allegation of racism from Ferdinand; neither lip reader was able to "identify whether the statement was made as a question or in what type of voice it was said." Justice Riddle concluded that while there was no doubt Terry had uttered those words in anger, "it is impossible to be sure exactly what were the words spoken by [Terry] at the relevant time" and that there was a lack of evidence to prove beyond a doubt that Terry had used them as an insult instead of "a challenge to what he believed had been said to him." The court therefore found Terry not guilty.

On 27 July 2012, the Football Association charged Terry for using "abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour" which "included a reference to the ethnic origin and/or colour and/or race of Ferdinand." The FA had delayed the charge until after the conclusion of Terry's criminal trial. Terry denied the charge. On the eve of the FA's hearing, Terry announced his retirement from the English national football team, saying his position had become "untenable" due to the disciplinary charge. On 27 September 2012, the hearing concluded with Terry being found guilty; he was punished with a four-match ban and a £220,000 fine.

The FA published a 63-page report regarding the disciplinary proceedings conducted by an Independent Regulatory Commission; it labelled aspects of Terry's defence as "improbable, implausible and contrived," finding it "inherently unlikely that if he had been accused by Mr. Ferdinand of calling him something that ended with the words "black cunt", that Mr. Terry would have added the word "fucking" when he threw the words back, if he was genuinely doing so by way of forceful denial" and "inherently improbable" that he would call Anton Ferdinand a "fucking knobhead" for falsely accusing him of racial abuse. The Commission found it "implausible" that to robustly deny having used the words "black cunt" he "simply repeated" them. His defence in court was not that he had "simply repeated" the words but that he had "sarcastically" repeated them (see above), however, there was no reference to sarcasm in the Regulatory Commission's 63-page written report. The Commission concluded that it was "quite satisfied, on the balance of probabilities, that there [was] no credible basis for Mr. Terry's defence that his use of the words 'fucking black cunt' were directed at Ferdinand by way of forceful rejection and/or inquiry. Instead, [the Commission was] quite satisfied, and [found] on the balance of probabilities, that the offending words were said by way of insult." The FA commission was also criticised as a "kangaroo court" and the FA for its lack of independence, for failing to disclose all evidence to the police, failing to tape record their interview with key witness Ashley Cole, for lowering the required burden of proof after the incident had taken place, and for punishing Terry for an offence he had already been cleared of in a criminal court, in contravention of its own rules, which state that verdicts in criminal cases are "presumed to be correct" unless "clear and convincing evidence" to the contrary emerges. Terry's four-match ban was contrasted with Luis Suárez's eight-match ban for racially abusing Patrice Evra (Suárez received a longer ban for using the insults repeatedly) and a 14-year-old schoolboy's five-match ban for telling a referee his name was Santa Claus.

On 18 October 2012, Terry decided not to appeal against the verdict and his four-match ban. He issued an apology for "the language [he] used in the game" and stated that it was "not acceptable on the football field or indeed in any walk of life." Chelsea announced that they had taken further disciplinary action against Terry while keeping the details confidential. However, Terry and Chelsea still faced media condemnation; Terry was criticised for not directly and personally apologising to Ferdinand, while Chelsea were accused of hypocrisy and double standards by only fining Terry and not stripping him of his captaincy when they have a "zero-tolerance" approach to racism and had previously handed a life ban to a fan who racially abused former Chelsea player Didier Drogba. In a radio interview, Chelsea Chairman Bruce Buck and Chief Executive Ron Gourlay called the incident a "lapse of judgement" and "out of character" from Terry and stated that the club had "taken firm disciplinary action appropriate to the circumstances," adding that "we must not forget he was cleared in a court of law."

In The Daily Telegraph, Paul Hayward summed up his view of the consequences of the controversial incident, that "the cost has been high. Here, three vile words muttered by Terry at Loftus Road ultimately removed Fabio Capello from the England manager's job; inflicted much distress on the Ferdinand family; brought a £45,000 fine for Rio Ferdinand for his endorsement of a "choc ice" tweet aimed at Chelsea's left-back; removed Terry from the England reckoning and shed yet more light on the fantasy world of Ashley Cole."

In popular culture

Immediately after Terry's celebration with his Chelsea teammates after their 2012 UEFA Champions League Final victory (in which he did not play due to suspension), a popular internet meme lampooning his behaviour appeared on the internet, becoming one of the most popular online jokes in 2012. Terry has been pictured taking part in great moments in history and fiction. These included the fall of the Berlin Wall, the freeing of Nelson Mandela and the triumph of Rocky Balboa. Over the summer of 2012 this developed into his celebrating current sporting achievements such as 2012 Olympics medal wins by Team GB. The joke reached its height when in October 2012, a Sligo Rovers fan donned a John Terry mask and full Chelsea kit, invading the pitch at the Showgrounds. The fan was photographed celebrating with his team winning the 2012 League of Ireland.

Career statistics

Club

As of 7 May 2016.

Club	Season	League		FA Cup		League Cup		Europe		Other		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Chelsea	1998–99	2	0	3	0	1	0	1	0	–		7	0
	1999–2000	4	0	4	1	1	0	0	0	–		9	1
	2000–01	22	1	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	26	1
	2001–02	33	1	5	2	5	0	4	1	–		47	4
	2002–03	20	3	5	2	3	0	1	1	–		29	6
	2003–04	33	2	3	1	2	0	13	0	–		51	3
	2004–05	36	3	1	1	5	0	11	4	–		53	8
	2005–06	36	4	4	2	1	1	8	0	1	0	50	7
	2006–07	28	1	4	0	2	0	10	0	1	0	45	1
	2007–08	23	1	2	0	2	0	10	0	0	0	37	1
	2008–09	35	1	4	0	1	0	11	2	–		51	3
	2009–10	37	2	5	1	1	0	8	0	1	0	52	3
	2010–11	33	3	3	0	1	0	8	1	1	0	46	4
	2011–12	31	6	4	0	1	0	8	1	–		44	7
	2012–13	14	4	3	1	1	0	8	1	1	0	27	6
	2013–14	34	2	0	0	1	0	12	0	–		47	2
	2014–15	38	5	0	0	4	1	7	2	–		49	8
	2015–16	24	1	2	0	2	0	4	0	1	0	33	1
	Total	483	40	55	11	35	2	124	13	6	0	703	66
Nottingham Forest (loan)	1999–2000	6	0	0	0	0	0	–		–		6	0
	Total	6	0	0	0	0	0	–		–		6	0
Career total		489	40	55	11	35	2	124	13	6	0	709	66

International

As of 7 September 2012.

England national team
Year	Apps	Goals
2003	6	0
2004	9	0
2005	6	0
2006	14	2
2007	7	1
2008	6	2
2009	10	1
2010	7	0
2011	7	0
2012	6	0
Total	78	6

Honours

Club

Chelsea

• FA Premier League (4): 2004–05, 2005–06, 2009–10, 2014–15
• FA Cup (5): 1999–00, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2011–12
• Football League Cup (3): 2004–05, 2006–07, 2014–15
• FA Community Shield (2): 2005, 2009
• UEFA Champions League (1): 2011–12
• UEFA Europa League (1): 2012–13

Individual

• Chelsea Player of the Year: 2001, 2006
• PFA Players' Player of the Year: 2004–05
• Premier League PFA Team of the Year: 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2014–15
• ESM Team of the Year: 2004–05, 2008–09, 2009–10
• FIFA FIFPro World XI: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
• UEFA Club Defender of the Year: 2005, 2008, 2009
• UEFA Team of the Year: 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009
• FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 2006
• UEFA Ultimate Team of the Year (substitute; published 2015)
• PFA Team of the Century (1997–2007): 2007

External links

• Official Chelsea profile
• John Terry – FIFA competition record
• John Terry career statistics at Soccerbase
• TheFA.com profile
• BBC profile
• England Profile and Record