A teď něco v angličtině
18. 2. 2007
John Terry
Chelsea to the core and a hero to the fans, John has now graduated from being a great prospect to a fully-fledged star as he commands the defence from his position as captain having also made his mark at international level.
Any deficiency in pace John may have is more than compensated by a superb reading of the game while his sound technique and distribution make him more than just a defenders’ defender.
Born in east London, John has been with Chelsea from his junior days where he was initially a medium-build midfielder. Filling in as youth team centre-back one day due to a lack of fit alternatives, he has never looked back, aided by a rapid growth in physical stature.
A short and successful loan spell at Nottingham Forest helped the maturing process and having taken on board lessons first hand from the likes of Marcel Desailly and Frank Leboeuf, he was voted Chelsea Player of the Year just two seasons after his debut.
After putting a short spell of off-field problems firmly behind him, John refocused on his game sufficiently to be handed his England debut in June 2003.
His most disappointing Chelsea moment to date was illness on the morning of the losing 2002 FA Cup Final and subsequent omission from the starting XI. His proudest is taking on the captaincy he had understudied from Marcel Desailly.
From youth product to Euro 2004 regular, Chelsea supporters began this season by simply asking for more of the same from their fearless born leader which is exactly what they have received.
John's incredible consistency has seen José Mourinho dub him 'the best centre-back in the world'.