• John Terry has retired from football aged 37. Move through the slide show to see where he ranks in our top 10 Premier League centre-backs. AP Photo
    John Terry has retired from football aged 37. Move through the slide show to see where he ranks in our top 10 Premier League centre-backs. AP Photo
  • 10th: Jamie Carragher was a one-club man who became a Liverpool legend. A dogged defender who loved a physical contest, he won the Champions League but failed to claim a league title. Getty Images
    10th: Jamie Carragher was a one-club man who became a Liverpool legend. A dogged defender who loved a physical contest, he won the Champions League but failed to claim a league title. Getty Images
  • 9th: Ledley King was blighted by injuries throughout his Tottenham career but it was testament to his quality that he could turn it on at the weekend having trained so little. Many opponents and former teammates rate him as the best defender they played with or against. Getty Images
    9th: Ledley King was blighted by injuries throughout his Tottenham career but it was testament to his quality that he could turn it on at the weekend having trained so little. Many opponents and former teammates rate him as the best defender they played with or against. Getty Images
  • 8th: Nemanja Vidic was the grittier half of the formidable Manchester United backline pairing with Rio Ferdinand. Like John Terry, he would put his head in where it hurt though he could look clumsy as he flung himself about. Getty Images
    8th: Nemanja Vidic was the grittier half of the formidable Manchester United backline pairing with Rio Ferdinand. Like John Terry, he would put his head in where it hurt though he could look clumsy as he flung himself about. Getty Images
  • 7th: The 'donkey' references from earlier in Tony Adams' career faded away as he captained a sensational Arsenal side to glory in the late 1990s. A true leader on the pitch. Getty Images
    7th: The 'donkey' references from earlier in Tony Adams' career faded away as he captained a sensational Arsenal side to glory in the late 1990s. A true leader on the pitch. Getty Images
  • 6th: What John Terry lacked in pace he more than made up for with his bravery. He was also comfortable with the ball at his feet and was a threat in the box from set-pieces. Getty Images
    6th: What John Terry lacked in pace he more than made up for with his bravery. He was also comfortable with the ball at his feet and was a threat in the box from set-pieces. Getty Images
  • 5th: Vincent Kompany has been a mainstay at Manchester City since the Abu Dhabi takeover a decade ago and that he has stayed so long when so many big-money transfers have come in shows his quality. Injuries have held him back in the last few seasons but he's still been a focal part of City's success. Getty Images
    5th: Vincent Kompany has been a mainstay at Manchester City since the Abu Dhabi takeover a decade ago and that he has stayed so long when so many big-money transfers have come in shows his quality. Injuries have held him back in the last few seasons but he's still been a focal part of City's success. Getty Images
  • 4th: Marcel Desailly is nicknamed 'The Rock', and anyone who has seen him play will understand why. Formed a solid partnership with Terry at Chelsea, won the Champions League with AC Milan and the World Cup with France, Desailly had no weakness. Getty Images
    4th: Marcel Desailly is nicknamed 'The Rock', and anyone who has seen him play will understand why. Formed a solid partnership with Terry at Chelsea, won the Champions League with AC Milan and the World Cup with France, Desailly had no weakness. Getty Images
  • 3rd: Sol Campbell had everything a central defender could need - strength, mobility, and calmness on the ball. He won two league titles and two FA Cups with Arsenal and an FA Cup with Portsmouth but split fan opinions after his controversial move across North London from Tottenham to Arsenal. Getty Images
    3rd: Sol Campbell had everything a central defender could need - strength, mobility, and calmness on the ball. He won two league titles and two FA Cups with Arsenal and an FA Cup with Portsmouth but split fan opinions after his controversial move across North London from Tottenham to Arsenal. Getty Images
  • 2nd: Has there been a more complete defender in English football than Rio Ferdinand? A rare example of a centre-back adept at controlling and carrying the ball as well as nullifying the opposition. Quick and strong, he enjoyed a trophy-laden Manchester United career. Getty Images
    2nd: Has there been a more complete defender in English football than Rio Ferdinand? A rare example of a centre-back adept at controlling and carrying the ball as well as nullifying the opposition. Quick and strong, he enjoyed a trophy-laden Manchester United career. Getty Images
  • 1st: If Desailly was a rock then Jaap Stam was a wall. He may have spent just three seasons at Manchester United but during that time Stam won three league titles, an FA Cup and the Champions League and was granted a terrace chant of 'Yip Jaap Stam is a big Dutch man'. Manager Alex Ferguson later admitted that selling Stam was one of his biggest mistakes. The likes of Terry and Ferdinand may have lasted longer, but Stam made a remarkable instant impact. Allsport
    1st: If Desailly was a rock then Jaap Stam was a wall. He may have spent just three seasons at Manchester United but during that time Stam won three league titles, an FA Cup and the Champions League and was granted a terrace chant of 'Yip Jaap Stam is a big Dutch man'. Manager Alex Ferguson later admitted that selling Stam was one of his biggest mistakes. The likes of Terry and Ferdinand may have lasted longer, but Stam made a remarkable instant impact. Allsport

Football

As John Terry retires, where does he rank among best Premier League defenders?

Courageous leader bows out after more than 700 appearances and five league titles

Ian Oxborrow
Ian Oxborrow

October 08, 2018

  • English
  • Arabic

Like him or loathe him, there's no denying John Terry was one of the finest defenders the English Premier League has seen.

Five Premier League titles, five FA Cups, three League Cups, one Uefa Champions League and one Europa League all with Chelsea - it's been a career littered with highs, albeit with the occasional and controversial low.

But now it's all over, with Terry, who spent his final season in the Championship with Aston Villa, having announced his retirement via his Instagram account.

After 23 years in football, he thanked his family for their support and made it clear that signing for Chelsea as a 14-year-old was a wise decision.

The next chapter awaits, as reports link him with the assistant manager job at Villa, where Thierry Henry is widely expected to be named the new manager after Steve Bruce was sacked.

But how does the courageous leader, who won 78 international caps and was twice stripped of the England captaincy, compare to his centre-back peers during the Premier League era?

View our slideshow at the top to see whether we rate him more highly than the likes of Vincent Kompany, Rio Ferdinand and Ledley King.

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Vincent Kompany still feels strong 10 years into Manchester City career

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