After the sad departure of David Beckham from the post of England captain, John Terry is the main candidate for this role. While Steven Gerrard also has a great chance to be on a par with stars such as Beckham, Alan Shearer, Brian Robson, Bobby Moore and Billy Wright, Chelsea defender made an extraordinary impression on Steve McLaren at the World Cup.
Purposeful and open, Terry seems to be the logical choice for the successor of Sven-Joran Ericsson, whom Beckham freed from the need to make a difficult decision with his departure. While Real Madrid's midfielder was an excellent representative (and an advertising phenomenon) of his country, due to his far from brilliant performance at the World Championships, as well as the appearance of Aaron Lennon in the national team, his position as team captain became very vulnerable.
When Beckham, feeling ill during the match with Ecuador, was replaced, Terry put on a captain's armband. It was a momentous moment. Beckham’s permanent deputy Michael Owen was absent from the field, as was Gary Neville, who subsequently received a captain's armband in his match against Manchester United against Portugal. Neville, however, is already 31 years old.
While Terry is unlikely to increase the sales of personalized T-shirts, Chelsea defender is able to revive the concept of “captain” as a leader who can lead players in the locker room and set an example on the field. He is only 25 years old (Terry is six years younger than Beckham), and this will allow Maclaren to use his image as an example for the younger generation. Gareth Southgate, also the central defender, was under captain of Middlesbrough under Maclaren.
There were times when all the hype in the press surrounding Beckham acted annoyingly, and although Terry got some notoriety, there were reports of Terry’s troubles with sweepstakes and fines for public order violations that were later lifted from him, but they cost him a place in the national team at the World Championships in Korea and Japan - he significantly matured at Stamford Bridge.
Terry is a born captain, and he is not difficult to play this role under the leadership of Mourinho. “I like to be a leader,” Terry said. “I express my opinion out loud. If someone needs suggestion, he will receive it, no matter who he is. I understood this as a child.”
Being full of respect for Beckham, Terry has already stated that he possesses the qualities necessary for the captain of the English national team. Terry, the former captain of the national team for players under the age of 21, has received widespread support. Former England goalkeeper Peter Shilton spoke of Terry as “an obvious candidate for the next team captain,” BBC commentator Mark Lawrence predicted that he would be “one of the greatest English leaders of all time,” and Tord Gripp, Ericsson’s assistant, described Terry as a “player of the same type” as Tony Adams, who could one day become captain of England.
Terry's teammates also agree. “I remember the first time I got to the England national team until the age of 21, and before that I hadn’t seen John Terry,” said Bayern Munich midfielder Owen Hargreaves. “However, after I did some training with him and played several games, I realized that one day he will become an excellent captain of the national team. When you see how he plays for Chelsea, you understand that this is an excellent candidate for the position of captain of the national team. "
Gerrard has the same qualities. His place as captain in Liverpool is not in the least doubt, however, some believe that a player who can dominate the field in international games should not be burdened with additional responsibility. Gerrard did not demonstrate the maximum of his capabilities in the game for England, and the most important thing for him is to find his place in the team. The same goes for Frank Lampard.
After losing to Portugal in a penalty shootout, Terry was inconsolable. “I never felt so disgusting,” he said. “None of us voiced the idea that we believe in victory, but inside the team there was confidence that we were able to win. We did not admit it publicly, but we even they didn’t think about leaving the competition. I was sure that the World Cup would be in Beckham’s hands. "