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Chelsea Comment: 10 Games That Have Defined John Terry's Captaincy

Plenty of highlights, but one lowlight keeps the defender hungry for more...

Nov 20, 2009 12:01:34 PM

Champions League: Manchester United - Chelsea London, John Terry (PA)

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Champions League: Manchester United - Chelsea London, John Terry (PA)

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Tomorrow, assuming he once again leads Chelsea out at Stamford Bridge against Wolves, John Terry will overtake Dennis Wise as the second longest-serving captain in Blues history.

It will be Terry’s 299th game with the armband, leaving him short of only Ron ‘Chopper’ Harris’s record of 324 games.

But with the 28-year-old still in the prime of his career and not looking like leaving the club any time soon, it would be a huge surprise if the England talisman didn’t eventually break Harris’s impressive record.

Ahead of tomorrow’s potential milestone, then, here are ten games that have so far defined Terry's reign as Chelsea captain:

Chelsea 0 Charlton 1 – Premier League, December 5 2001

With regular captain Marcel Desailly out injured, manager Claudio Ranieri handed a 21-year-old John Terry the captain’s armband for the first time.

Unfortunately, the visiting Addicks had refused to read the script, and Terry’s dream night quickly became a nightmare as an 89th-minute Kevin Lisbie strike gave the away side the win, consigning Terry to a painful defeat in front of the Stamford Bridge faithful.

Chelsea 4 Barcelona 2 — Champions League Round of 16, March 8 2005

Having lost the away leg at the Nou Camp 2-1, Chelsea knew they were up against it if they were to progress to the quarter-finals of the competition.

Yet a blistering start in front of their home fans, capped off when Damien Duff notched the Blues’ third goal after just 19 minutes, looked to have secured a memorable victory.

But Barca are one of Europe’s most prestigious clubs for a reason, and they gradually worked their way back into the game thanks to two mercurial interventions from Ronaldinho.

With 15 minutes left to go, Chelsea were exiting the competition on away goals. But John Terry made another crucial goalscoring appearance to plant the ball past Victor Valdes, and then kept things tight at the back as his side survived for a memorable 5-4 aggregate win.

Bolton 0 Chelsea 2 — Premier League, April 30 2005

Two second-half goals from Frank Lampard and a clean sheet at the back from Terry & Co secured Chelsea the Premier League title, having accrued an unassailable 14-point lead over nearest challengers Arsenal.

Deja vu | Terry would lift the title again in 2006

Terry was on hand to lift the famous trophy, the club’s first title since 1955. The 24-year-old, alongside Lampard, was the last to leave the pitch, as the Reebok Stadium become host to a memorable afternoon for Chelsea fans.

Liverpool 2 Chelsea 3 (AET) — League Cup final, February 27 2005

Terry’s first silverware as Chelsea captain, and Jose Mourinho’s first trophy as Chelsea captain. It was a red-letter day for many of the Chelsea players at the Millennium Stadium.

It didn't always look like being that way. John Arne Riise had put Liverpool ahead after barely a minute, and Rafa Benitez’s side looked like holding on to grab an important victory until Steven Gerrard’s late own goal forced extra time.

Didier Drogba put the Blues ahead for the first time in the tie after 107 minutes, before Mateja Kezman added another just five minutes later.

Antonio Nunez immediately hit back for the Reds, but Chelsea did enough to hold on and grab a memorable victory.

Barcelona 0 Chelsea 0 — Champions League semi-finals, April 28 2009

Barcelona were indisputably the in-form side of world football, sweeping all before them in a blaze of goals and beautiful football.

But Chelsea were determined to avenge the memory of last season’s Champions League heart-break, and headed to the Nou Camp with a sense of purpose and a resolve that Barca struggled to break down.

Marshalled by Terry, the Blues held firm against Barcelona’s prolific strikeforce, restricting their chances on goal and preventing them gaining an advantage in the tie.

Hear this | Terry's efforts eventually proved in vain

It was a masterful defensive performance, one that continued for the next 89 minutes of the tie at Stamford Bridge, before Andres Iniesta laid waste to all that hard work in the cruellest manner imaginable.

Chelsea 1 Manchester United 0 — Premier League, August 15 2004

"We have all decided who the captain will be, not just me. I gave the players my opinion, they gave me their views and it was 90 per cent the same," said new Blues manager Jose Mourinho as he revealed how he had come to appoint John Terry as the club’s new permanent captain.

And the Englishman did not disappoint in the first game of the season, which surprisingly saw the visit of title rivals Manchester United.

With both Mourinho and Didier Drogba making their Premier League bow, Terry held an unfamiliar line-up together and, despite United enjoying 59% of possession, Eidur Gudjohnsen’s 15th-minute goal ensured the Blues got off to the perfect start to the new campaign, and Terry’s reign as club captain.

Chelsea 2 Arsenal 1 — League Cup final, February 25 2007

Terry missed a third of this game, but it was still one of his most influential as Chelsea captain.

After all, the No.26 always leads by example, and nothing inspires his team-mates like his willingness to put his body on the line for his team.

Theo Walcott had put the young Gunners ahead at the Millennium Stadium, before Didier Drogba hit back almost immediately.

Out for the count | Terry leaves the Carling Cup final

The lively game continued with both teams going toe-to-toe, before midway through the second half Terry was knocked unconscious as he put his head in where Abou Diaby’s boot was already traveling at some speed.

The captain departed the game and headed for the hospital, but in his absence the Blues were determined to win and Drogba once again popped up, five minutes from time, to secure the trophy.

Chelsea 1 Manchester United 0 – Premier League, November 8 2009

A game Terry will surely look back on with much fondness come the end of his career.

Chelsea entered the game in solid form, and were two points clear of their great rivals at the top of the league.

But Sir Alex Ferguson was confident his understrength side could nonetheless go to Stamford Bridge and nullify Carlo Ancelotti’s diamond formation.

For 75 minutes that looked to be the case, as Terry and his defensive partners struggled to keep an on-form Wayne Rooney at bay while Chelsea’s attacking unit failed to spark.

But the Blues captain took matters into his own hands, nodding home the decisive goal from a flighted Lampard free-kick.

V for victory | Terry gets one over an old enemy

The victory propelled the Blues five points clear at the top of table, a platform that might yet see them through to another league title.

Arsenal 2 Chelsea 2 — Premier League, December 12 2004

The first major test of Terry’s permanent captaincy came a few months into his reign, when his top-of-the-table side visited Highbury, where reigning champions Arsenal were looking to kick-start their new campaign.

The Gunners had gone unbeaten the previous season, but had already lost twice in the new campaign and were looking to steady the ship.

And they looked likely to do just that, as Thierry Henry put the hosts ahead after just 75 seconds. But Terry led by example, scoring the equaliser midway through the first half.

Henry scored a quickly taken free-kick that caught Petr Cech unaware, but Eidur Gudjohnsen scored a second equalizer for the Blues that was enough to grab them a crucial point.

The draw kept Chelsea’s five-point lead ahead of the Gunners, a lead they would increase as the season unfolded to a successful conclusion, cementing Chelsea's position as the new force in English football.

Manchester United 1 Chelsea 1 (United win 6-5 on pens) – Champions League final, May 21 2008

It’s arguably fitting that the game that most defines Terry’s career as Chelsea captain is one in which he ended up on the losing side.

But after all, the defeat in Moscow is one that the player himself has admitted continues to drive him and his career forward in search of redemption.

Terry had never made a secret of his desire to win the Champions League, and was presented a glorious chance to realise that dream after Cristiano Ronaldo and Frank Lampard had cancelled each other out and sent the game to penalties.

With Ronaldo having already missed from the spot, Terry stepped up knowing that if he scored, Chelsea would win the game’s biggest club prize. But in a turn of events that was to be replayed endlessly, Terry slipped and his right-foot shot bounced agonizingly away off the post.

Eventually Nicolas Anelka missed the decisive effort, handing United the trophy and reducing Terry to tears.

Perhaps the defender will savour Champions League success in the remainder of his career, but until then that famous night at the Luzhniki will surely be the defining moment of his Chelsea captaincy.

Alex Dimond, Goal.com UK

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