Former Chelsea captain John Terry has already named his four toughest opponents who he faced during his Premier League career – although he did not mention Steven Gerrard.
Terry, 44, played an integral part in Chelsea’s success between 1998 and 2017, having made 717 appearances for the club during a period which saw the Blues win 15 major trophies including five Premier League titles, five FA Cups and a Champions League.
For most of his career, Chelsea competed with Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool for trophies, which saw Terry go up against the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Robin van Persie and Gerrard.
But it was four other players who Terry regards as the toughest he faced in English football.
Speaking in April 2024, the former England captain, explained how former Arsenal forward Thierry Henry was the player he “feared the most”.
“Thierry Henry was the best I came up against, the one I feared the most,” said Terry.
In another interview from 2016, he even revealed how the Frenchman gave him “sleepless nights”
“Thierry Henry had everything,” said Terry [quotes from Standard].
“The night before games, I’d have sleepless nights.
“But he was a real gentleman off the field, as well. He’d always praise me and said things to encourage my game and help me along.
“But as a player, he had everything; I dreaded playing against him.”
John Terry won five Premier League titles (Credit:Getty)
In the 2024 interview, Terry then went on to explain how ex-Everton and Man United man Wayne Rooney was “phenomenal”.
“Next has to be Wayne Rooney,” Terry explained. “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.
“I’d also say Sergio Aguero or Harry Kane were difficult to come up against.”
Kane, who faced Terry during his time at Tottenham Hotspur, explained how facing the ex-Chelsea man was a learning curve during an Instagram Q&A session in 2022.
“Early on facing John Terry, [he was] just a really smart defender, knew where to put his body, knew how to stop my runs, so that was a great learning curve,” Kane said.
