'Terry a lot better than he was given credit for' – Carragher lauds Chelsea legend

The former England man's technical abilities are often overlooked in retrospectives on his career, the ex-Liverpool man says

Jamie Carragher has claimed that legend John Terry remains an underrated player in the eyes of football fans and critics.

The long-time servant played with Terry on international duty and was taken aback by the qualities that he had.

Although Terry is widely regarded as being a no-nonsense defender, Carragher, who has moved to punditry after retiring following a 17-year career in 2013, claimed that he was as technically accomplished as the very best.

“John Terry was basically a better version of me,” he said while speaking to Sky Sports. “He was bigger, more powerful, better quality on the ball as well. He was one who when you trained with him went up a level in your eyes. You knew he was a great player.

“Technically, he’s a lot better than he’s given credit for. People always talk about John Terry being this man who put his head and his body in front of everything – and he would – and we talk about Rio Ferdinand being the player who was great on the ball. But we forget that Rio was a great defender and that John Terry was great on the ball.

“John Terry could pass the ball 60 or 70 yards with his left foot – the best ball-playing centre-back in the world would struggle to do that. So he was definitely one that you’d think was a top player, and you’d see that with England.”

Terry achieved legendary status at Stamford Bridge, where he played virtually the whole duration of his career.

He made his professional debut in 1998 and would go on to make over 700 appearances for the Blues, scoring 67 goals in the process. During his time at the club, he won five Premier League crowns and as many titles, though the highlight was leading the club to the 2011-12 final.

After leaving Chelsea in 2017 after 19 years with the club, he played with for a single season, and is now the assistant manager at the Premier League side.

Terry also won acclaim for his displays with England, for whom he was capped on 78 occasions.