TERRY NO ANGEL BUT KEY TO MANY CHELSEA TRIUMPHS
of Frank Lampard, another player who would go on to become a legend at Chelsea.
Terry moved to The Blues as a 14-year-old and became part of their midfield, before a shortage of centre-backs saw him switched to that position, where he stayed.
He made his first team debut for the club in the 1998-99 season, but did not become a regular until 2000-01, having in between spent time on loan at Nottingham Forest.
It was in 2001 that he was involved in the first of a number of controversies - he was fined two weeks wages by Chelsea for allegedly taunting a group of American tourists in a bar in the aftermath of the 11 September terrorist attacks.
Shortly afterwards he was charged by police with assault of a nightclub bouncer and was barred from the England national team, though he was ultimately acquitted.
In early 2010 several newspapers claimed that Terry had an affair with the girlfriend of his then Chelsea and England teammate Wayne Bridge, after which he was stripped of the national team captaincy for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
And in 2011 Terry was placed under police investigation over allegations he racially abused Queen’s Park Rangers player Anton Ferdinand, the brother of Rio Ferdinand, who had replaced Terry as England captain at the World Cup in South Africa. He was found guilty.
Terry had also missed a penalty when he slipped in the act of taking the kick in the 2008 UEFA Champions League final against Manchester United in Moscow, with the Red Devils ending victorious.
But despite his obvious failings, Terry was at times imperious on the field, winning many matches for Chelsea and England with outstanding individual performances.
He was also a threat at the other end of the pitch and his 68 goals in 718 appearances for Chelsea is the most by a defender in the history of the club, many of them late, crucial winners in key games.