Chelsea legend John Terry has announced his retirement from playing.
The former Blues and England captain, who played for his country 78 times, has hung up his boots at the age of 37.
Announcing his retirement, Terry declared that his “heart will always belong to Chelsea” – the club where he spent almost his entire career, winning five Premier League titles, five FA Cups and three League Cups.
He also picked up Champions League and Europa League winners’ medals but did not play in the finals.
He made 717 appearances for Chelsea, who paid tribute to their former skipper on Twitter, calling his “one of the finest careers of any Englishman in the history of the game.”
There were many highs – and some lows – for Terry for both club and country during his years as a Chelsea player.
HIGH: Makes Chelsea debut against Aston Villa in October 1998.
LOW: Is one of four players fined two weeks’ wages by Chelsea after their behaviour at a Heathrow hotel is criticised on the day after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
HIGH: Makes England debut as substitute against Serbia & Montenegro in June 2003.
HIGH: Appointed Chelsea captain as the successor to Marcel Desailly in August 2004. Chelsea go on to win back-to-back league titles under Jose Mourinho.
HIGH: Succeeds David Beckham as England captain in August 2006.
LOW: Misses crucial kick in a penalty shoot-out to decide the 2008 Champions League final against Manchester United, who go on to lift the trophy.
LOW: In January 2010, Terry is named as the sportsman behind a gagging injunction involving his private life. A court order had previously been in place, covering an alleged relationship between married Terry and French model Vanessa Perroncel, a former partner of team-mate Wayne Bridge. Perroncel denied the relationship ever took place.
LOW: Terry loses the England captaincy in February 2010 following a meeting with Fabio Capello. Bridge refuses to shake Terry’s hand before Chelsea’s match with Manchester City in the same month.
HIGH: Restored to the role of England captain by Capello in March 2011.
LOW: In October 2011, Terry is accused of making a racist insult to Anton Ferdinand during Chelsea’s defeat at QPR. A police investigation is launched. Terry strenuously denies the claims and is cleared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on July 13 2012. He is later charged by the FA with using racist language towards the QPR defender and is banned for four matches and fined £220,000 by an FA independent regulatory commission. Terry continues to deny the allegations.
LOW: Terry is stripped of the England captaincy for a second time on February 3 2012. Capello resigns as England manager five days later, after criticising the decision to strip Terry of the captaincy. Terry retires from international football in September 2012.
HIGH: Terry misses the 2012 Champions League final due to suspension but joins the celebrations for Chelsea’s penalty shoot-out triumph against Bayern Munich, donning his full kit.
LOW: Makes just 14 appearances in Chelsea’s 2012/13 Premier League campaign.
HIGH: Resurgent under Mourinho in the Portuguese’s second spell at Stamford Bridge, Terry plays every minute of Chelsea’s 2014/15 Premier League title triumph, earning himself a new one-year deal.
LOW: In April 2017 it is announced Terry will leave Chelsea at the end of the 2016/17 season. He departs as a title winner but is an unused substitute as the team clinch the Premier League at West Brom. It is his fifth league championship.
This post was last modified on 08/10/2018