Marmite footballers: #2 John Terry

You either love 'em or hate 'em, you know? There are some footballers that have divided opinions ever since they first pulled on a shirt.

Usually the ones with the most interesting careers, 'marmite footballers' fascinate us. Jamie Hodge takes a look at some of the best.

#2 John Terry:

Number two on our list of ‘marmite footballers’ is Chelsea and England stalwart, John Terry.

The long-time captain of the blues is widely regarded as one of the most talented defenders of his generation, however, his career was littered with controversy, which in the eyes of many people may stop him from ever receiving that ‘legendary’ status.

John’s Chelsea Career

John Terry signed for Chelsea at the tender age of 14 years old - he progressed quickly through the ranks at the London side and made his first-team debut for the club in 1998, before gradually maturing into one of the most iconic players in the Blues history.

His ability as a player was undeniable, he enjoyed a hugely successful 22 years with Chelsea, winning a total of 16 major trophies, including five FA Cups, five Premier League titles and the Champions League.

Despite never being blessed with exceptional pace or strength, he dominated the opposition through flawless positioning and timing.

He was a huge aerial threat from set pieces and scored 67 goals for Chelsea, which is pretty impressive to say the least.

Three Lions on his shirt

Terry earned 78 caps in total for the England national side, scoring six times in the process.

It was Sven-Goran Eriksson who gave Terry his debut back in 2003 against Serbia and Montenegro and the centre-half would go on to appear in four major tournaments for the Three Lions.

He was part of what is infamously now known as England’s ‘golden generation’ - the less said about that the better.

Where did it all go wrong?

John Terry had the world at his feet; he was one of the most promising England talents in the game at the time, but it was his behaviour throughout his career that has left a stain on Terry’s career.

In 2001, he was part of a group of Chelsea players who were fined by the club for a night of drinking which saw them accused of behaviour that upset American tourists in the wake of the September 11 attacks.

Whilst it was a controversial start to his career, Terry had seemingly learnt from his mistakes and was out of the spotlight for a number of years, working hard on his footballing career and not his off field antics.

2010 was the year where things started to go down the drain for Terry again. The then England captain’s private life was firmly thrusted into the public eye when allegations that he had engaged in an affair with the wife of his former Chelsea team-mate Wayne Bridge found their way onto the front pages.

Skip forward to 2012, a shocking incident involving him and Anton Ferdinand, where Terry was found guilty of racially abusing the QPR defender. He was fined and banned for four games which then led to his retirement from international football.

Full Kit W****r

But perhaps Terry’s worst moment as a professional came immediately after the full-time whistle in Chelsea’s 2012 Champions League triumph over Bayern Munich.

Despite having not played in the final due to suspension, the captain did his best Full Monty impression by stripping on the touchline, before sprinting onto the pitch to celebrate.

Fans from across the world were quick to mock his actions, even leading to a series of internet memes, with the defender edited into famous moments seeking to soak up the limelight.

Player to Manager

After an emotional farewell from Chelsea in 2017, Terry signed for Championship side Aston Villa for a season, where he appeared for the side 32 times before announcing his retirement in 2018.

Since then, Terry has been quick to make the move into management and was appointed joint assistant head coach along with Richard O’Kelly to new boss Dean Smith at Villa Park.

It has been a successful start to life in the dugout for Terry with his side currently sitting 5th in the Championship and with the play-offs to come, who knows it could be promotion at the first time of asking for Terry.

Rate him or Hate him?

So what do you think of John Terry then? Chelsea fans I’m sure you’ll love him and were sorry to see him go.

Rivals will be glad to see the back of an incredible defensive talent and passionate leader.

Decent human beings however may be glad to see the back of an egocentric character who left smears upon the Premier League for his conduct.

But, what do you think? Let us know on Instagram and Twitter.