Is John Terry the greatest defender in Premier League
history? We look at the stats to see where the Chelsea icon ranks…
Terry splits opinion like few other players and since he announced Chelsea
will not be renewing his contract at the end of the season, the reaction has
been predictably mixed.
Many will not mourn the departure of one of the Premier League's most
controversial characters, but to those who have cherished his contribution
to Chelsea, there is sadness, anger and regret.
But whether you love him or loathe him, Terry's pedigree cannot be
questioned. His trophy-laden career has spanned 18 Premier League campaigns,
and his outstanding contribution to Chelsea's last title triumph was a
testament to his remarkable endurance.
He is certainly not without admirers, either. "John Terry has been the best
Premier League defender I've seen, the best centre-back I've ever played
against," said Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp on Sunday night. "He's just
been a warrior."
Jamie Carragher offered a similar assessment after watching Terry lift his
fourth title last season. "There have been a lot of great centre-backs in
Premier League history, but I think he has been the best that we've seen,"
he said.
Terry has provided the foundations for the era of unprecedented success that
has followed Roman Abramovich's takeover in 2003, and Chelsea's "Captain,
Leader, Legend" will go down in Premier League history too.
Most Premier League appearances for defenders
Player
Appearances
Jamie Carragher
508
Rio Ferdinand
504
Sol Campbell
503
John Terry
477
Sylvain Distin
467
Aaron Hughes
455
Richard Dunne
431
Gareth Southgate 426
John O'Shea
406
Gary Neville
400
From his debut as a substitute in a 2-0 win over Southampton in 1998 to his
inspirational performance in Chelsea's 1-0 win over Arsenal last weekend,
Terry has made 477 Premier League appearances.
Terry the Premier League legend
SSNHQ's Andy Burton reflects on John Terry's last six months at Chelsea.
He has played under 10 different managers and been written off more than
once, but he has made a habit of proving his doubters wrong, and his recent
displays at Old Trafford and the Emirates Stadium show he is still at home
on the big stage.
Carragher, Rio Ferdinand and Sol Campbell may have the edge on him for
Premier League appearances, but in 2014/15 he achieved something that no
other outfield player has managed since Manchester United's Gary Pallister
in 1992/93 when he played in every minute of every game of title-winning
season. It's no mean feat for a man who turned 34 that year.
Zouma shocked by Terry exit
Kurt Zouma admits that he is surprised at Chelsea's decision not to renew
John Terry's contract.
Terry played a pivotal role in Chelsea's 17 clean sheets in 2014/15, and his
overall record of 212 shut-outs is unrivalled among Premier League
defenders. No current defender even features in the top 10, and Terry will
be aiming to add to his tally before the end of the campaign.
Most Premier League clean sheets for defenders
Player
Clean sheets
John Terry
212
Jamie Carragher
195
Rio Ferdinand
189
Sol Campbell
153
Gary Neville
148
Ashley Cole
147
Gareth Southgate
136
Sami Hyypia
125
Denis Irwin
123
William Gallas
122
His clean sheets total gives him a percentage of 44.4 per cent, which is
only fractionally bettered by Tony Adams and Nemanja Vidic of defenders to
have made at least 200 Premier League appearances.
Clean sheet percentage for defenders (min 200 apps)
Player
Appearances Clean sheets
Clean sheet %
Tony Adams
255
115
45.1%
Nemanja Vidic 211
95
45.0%
John Terry
477
212
44.4%
Gary Pallister
261
104
39.8%
Sami Hyypia
318
125
39.3%
Terry also ranks highly for win percentage, with 302 Premier League
victories in 477 games giving him a win rate of 63.3 per cent.
That puts him well ahead of the likes of Carragher, Ferdinand and Campbell,
and means he also ranks in the top 10 for defenders with a minimum of 200
appearances.
Premier League win percentage for defenders (min 200 apps)
Player
Appearances Wins
Win %
Nemanja Vidic
211
149 70.6%
Patrice Evra
273
186 68.1%
Phil Neville
263
175 66.5%
Gary Neville
400
256 64.0%
Mikael Silvestre
275
176 64.0%
John Terry
477
301 63.3%
Ashley Cole
385
240 62.3%
Gael Clichy
290
178 61.4%
Vincent Kompany
215
130 60.5%
Pablo Zabaleta
200
118 59.0%
Terry doesn't just prevent goals, either. The former England captain is a
major threat in the opposition penalty box and has a knack of popping up in
the right place at the right time.
He is the highest-scoring defender in Premier League history with 40, and
that total is all the more impressive considering none of them have come
from the penalty spot.
Most Premier League goals from defenders
Player Goals
John Terry 40
David Unsworth 38 (inc. 22 penalties)
Ian Harte 28 (inc. 10 penalties)
Leighton Baines 26 (inc. 15 penalties)
William Gallas 25
Terry's departure will mark the end of an era. And while he remains a
polarising figure, the statistics show he has a strong case to be considered
the greatest defender in Premier League history.
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