John Terry-the Captain, the Leader, the Legend...

                Almost everybody seems to have an opinion over England manager Fabio Capello's decision of handing the Captain's armband permanently to John Terry,just 13 months after he was unceremonious sacked as England skipper on moral grounds.And many of them are publicly expressing their dismay over the decision already,but for me,and I don't just say it as a Chelsea fan,it was the most obvious thing Capello and England should have done.I can already sense people ready to throw stones at this,but I firmly stand by my belief,.Whatever be the off-field issues,there is no better player in England at the moment than Terry to lead the country.Period.

Terry has been lifting many trophies with Chelsea,even after being removed as England skipper

                                                
                                      
                   I do not wish to enter into the controversy that erupted last year,but on the field,where it matters most,John Terry has been a Maverick.He has been,and remains, one of the most reliable defenders in World Football,along with Vidic and Pique.Just look at his Club level form at Chelsea for that sake.The ever reliable Ricardo Carvalho was sold away to Real Madrid this summer.David Luiz has just come in,but Alex has been missing through injuries for long periods this season.Still Chelsea boast the Best defending record in the Premier League this season.There should be no doubts where the credit goes most.
                    They say it took Capello 12 minutes to sack Terry as the captain last year,after all those lurid allegations.But it didn't take Chelsea even a few nanoseconds to stand behind their skipper.And John Terry paid the full value of that faith.Handsomely.Chelsea romped (No pun intended) to a Historic League and Cup double last season,breaking all kinds of records on the way,even as a toothless and leader-less England failed miserably in the World Cup.People criticised the performances of Terry most at that time,which was a conveniently easy thing to do,but it doesn't change the fact that Terry has been one of the Best defenders on the planet for last few years.

Absolute fearlessness while going for the ball,to the point of madness.
But this is what has made John Terry a footballing Great.

                     The thing that sets Terry apart from his counterparts in World Football is his passion about the game.Never in his life,has John Terry hesitated to go into a tackle or fighting for a header,fearing for his personal safety.In fact,his outright determination to win every tackle,and the readiness to always put his body on the line for the team's gain was what made Capello eat his words,and hand the armband back to Terry. "For John Terry,dying on the field would be glory.In order to stop him from playing,may be you will have to kill him,and may be even then he will still play!" These were the thoughts of the former Chelsea coach "Big Phil" Scolari about his club captain.Looking at Terry's some terrific,and almost madly tackles sometimes,you can't help but believe that.I have seen that guy trying to head the ball,while lying on the ground,without having the slightest fear about the Oncoming player's studs cracking his head.You can all crack jokes about the allegations with Terry's private life,really easy thing to do,but it takes real courage,to throw yourself on the ball,when there's every chance that the opponent's tackle may break your bones,perhaps can even end your career.Even when all those allegations came out,even when he was booed everywhere while playing,Terry did not go into hiding.His first reaction to all the abuse was to score the late winner at Burnley,the place where Manchester United,Arsenal,and Liverpool failed to win.In his first England game,after the Champions League final in Moscow,which left him heartbroken,he scored the winner vs USA.That was the game that made Capello make him the England Captain. He was targeted almost every time he entered the field last season,but he still emerged holding the EPL and FA Cup aloft in the end.

Perhaps tackles like this made Capello change his mind over the Captaincy issue

                                            
                                                          
                   I am in no way trying to support all the misdeeds he carried out,it was a disgraceful thing to do,especially at the time,when young kids see these footballers as role models.He should have been,and has been punished for that.But then who do England have as the "Mr. Clean" leader? Even Steven Gerrard has been involved in drunken fights.England's captaincy was handed to Rio Ferdinand after Terry,a player who was banned for 8 months for missing a Drugs Test (How many of us remember that?) ,and who had just been banned 3 games in EPL for "Violent Conduct" at that time,a ban which was extended to 4,because the appeal committee termed his appeal as "frivolous".Not the most moralistic thing you could do,was it?
                     People have been saying making Terry captain will cause divide in the team.Rubbish.Young players like Joe Hart,Wilshere and Carroll are going to be more interested in cementing their place in the team.In the seniors section,the Chelsea contingent are unlikely to have problems with having Terry a captain,Steven Gerrard knows Terry was Capello's first choice when he took over,and Wayne Rooney is said to be among Terry' allies.So fearing whose wrath, should Capello refrain from his decision? Gareth Barry?

That's what Terry's status is,at Stamford Bridge!

                                                                                                                                                                               
                        Rio Ferdinand is never going to be fit enough to lead England consistently.Even Alex Ferguson testified to that by handing Club captaincy to Nemanja Vidic ahead of Rio.Steven Gerrard may be an exceptional player,but he is not a leader,he inspires by his own performances,but he isn't influential enough in England's system,as compared to his heroics with Liverpool.On the contrary,John Terry is a born leader of men.A host of managers,who have a World Cup,Six European Cups,2 Club World Cups, and dozens of domestic titles amongst them,have chosen Terry to be the man to lead their team.Yes,he has been involved in many controversies,including infidelity and fraud.His dad was arrested on suspicion of possessing cocaine and such stuff.He has been in headlines many times for the wrong reasons.Yet,these managers,considered to be some of the most genius footballing brains in the world,put their faith him.They still dare to look beyond all those headlines.For what lies beneath,is one hell of a Footballer!