Terry hangs up his boots

Former Chelsea and England captain John Terry has decided to call time on his playing career after 23 years in the game.

The central defender has been without a club since leaving Championship (second-tier) side Aston Villa f o l l ow i n g their playoff defeat by Fulham at Wembley Stadium last season. “After 23 incredible years as a footballer, I have decided now is the right time for me to retire from playing,” Terry, 37, wrote on his Instagram account on Sunday. He has been linked by British media with a managerial role at Villa Park as the number two to former Arsenal and France forward Thierry Henry following the sacking of Steve Bruce on Wednesday, with Villa now struggling in 15th place.

Terry, a no-nonsense defender who won 78 England caps, left Chelsea in 2017 after 19 seasons at the west London club where he won 17 trophies, including five Premier League titles, five FA Cup triumphs and three League Cup trophies. Terry also won both a Champions League and Europa League winners’ medal although he did not appear in either final, having been suspended for the 2012 European Cup triumph and injured for the Europa League success the following year. After he announced his retirement, Chelsea wrote on Twitter: “Twenty-two years as a Blue. Fifteen major trophies. One of the finest careers of any Englishman in the history of the game. Enjoy your retirement, JT.”