JOHN TERRY NAMES HIS 4 TOUGHEST PREMIER LEAGUE OPPONENTS
- John Terry has named the four toughest Premier League opponents he faced during his playing career.
- The Chelsea legend is one of the greatest defenders of all time and was recently inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame.
- Terry named Wayne Rooney and Thierry Henry as two of the hardest forwards he had to deal with in his playing days.
John Terry has named Thierry Henry and Wayne Rooney among the four toughest opponents of his Premier League career. This comes after the Chelsea icon was inducted into the Hall of Fame alongside former Manchester United and Newcastle forward Andy Cole.
Having won the English top-flight five times and the Champions League once, the Englishman is regarded by many as the greatest defender to have ever played in the Premier League. He was a fearless defender with an underrated ability to play the ball out from the back with confidence and composure.
Terry's approach to defending made him a nightmare for opposing strikers more often than not, but even the ex-Blues captain had his struggles against some of the elite marksmen in the division's history. He has singled out four individuals as the toughest opponents he faced during his 20-year senior career.
Premier League Hall of Fame Full List of Entries
The Premier League has been littered with legendary figures. Here are all 24 players and managers in the competition's Hall of Fame.John Terry's Hardest Opponents
He faced many world-class strikers during his career
Through the years, many incredible footballers have faced the Chelsea legend, although few got the better of him, as shown by the role he played in a Chelsea backline that still holds the best defensive record in a Premier League season to this day.
When Terry was asked to name the hardest opponents he faced, his initial thought was (per the Daily Mail): "Thierry Henry was the best I came up against, the one I feared the most." Many defenders will have felt the same about the Frenchman, who is widely seen as the greatest Premier League player in history.
The retired centre-back was then quick to praise a former England colleague, whom he locked horns with on many occasions at club level:
Next has to be Wayne Rooney. He was a top, top player and what he achieved was incredible. I don’t know if it gets overlooked a little bit just how good Wayne was when he first broke into the England team. I remember playing against him in the Premier League and having him as a teammate in the England sessions. He was phenomenal.
Extremely high praise for the ex-Manchester United hero was followed up by two more recent Premier League stars, whom Terry faced towards the end of his playing days: "I’d also say Sergio Aguero or Harry Kane were difficult to come up against."
John Terry Makes 'Invincibles' Claim
He's prepared to 'upset' some people
In the 2004/05 season, Terry and the rest of his backline secured the record for the least goals conceded in a Premier League season (15) as previously mentioned. He has claimed that the campaign was as impressive as Arsenal's famous 'Invincible' season the year before:
"I'm going to upset a couple of people here, but I think that season was as good as the Invincibles season for Arsenal. They drew an awful lot of games."
Without being too critical of the Gunners' achievement, Terry focused on his pride at the record he and his teammates accomplished: "Looking back today. That could have maybe been nine or 10 goals conceded. I don't think it's a record that's ever going to be beaten, if I'm honest. I certainly hope it's not, and I'm very proud of what we did defensively."
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Chelsea conceded 11 fewer goals and won five more points in the 2004/05 Premier League season than Arsenal's 'Invincibles' squad.
10 Greatest Chelsea Players Ever (Ranked)
From Eden Hazard to Frank Lampard, the 10 greatest players in the history of Chelsea Football Club - ranked in order