These days it’s hard to find a ‘one club’ football legend. The commercial realities of the game mean that clubs are able to make vast sums from selling prized talent that their youth system has nurtured. It is therefore heartening to see that two of the most established players in the England set-up, John Terry and Steven Gerrard, share not only the white shirt of England but an enduring affiliation to their boyhood clubs of Chelsea and Liverpool.

 
When John Terry joined Chelsea as a midfielder at 14, it took a temporary switch to central defence for his true talents to shine. He has gone on to become the most successful captain in Chelsea’s history with three Premier League titles, three FA Cups and two League Cup titles. He now has the chance to add to that FA Cup tally and deliver the double for the first time in the clubs history.While in 2009 Terry almost signed with Manchester City, it did not materialise and Terry has since signed a contract to remain at Chelsea until at least 2014.

Terry’s counterpart in loyalty, Steven Gerrard, came close to leaving his Liverpool team in 2004 when Terry’s Chelsea came knocking. Soon after came a driving performance on a field in Istanbul in May 2005 and a Champions League final victory that will forever define the player. “How can I leave after a night like this?” he famously asked afterwards. He followed this with another talismanic performance in the 2006 FA Cup Final when Liverpool thrillingly defeated West Ham on penalties.

 

While no one can be sure what will happen in the future, the loyalty and longevity that John Terry and Steve Gerrard have shown to their teams is a great throwback to former club spirit. Of the XI World Cup winners from 1966, fully eight of the players could maintain that they were one club men going into the tournament. There are plenty of supporters hoping these modern day one club legends can span the decades since and bring the trophy back from South Africa.

 

Be Sociable, Share!

Tagged with: •

Filed under: Fantasy Player Rankings

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!