John Terry: Chelsea captain who divides opinion

For more than a decade John Terry has captained Chelsea, leading the club during its most successful era.

Famed for his on-pitch leadership, Chelsea supporters regard Terry, who came through their youth teams, as a great captain and club icon.

He has lifted more trophies than all his predecessors as Chelsea skipper put together. And a banner displayed at Stamford Bridge at every home game has a picture of Terry's face and the words "JT CAPTAIN, LEADER, LEGEND".

But the defender, who has been cleared in a magistrates' court of racially abusing QPR's Anton Ferdinand, remains a divisive figure.

Part of this is due to a number of off-field controversies, particularly an alleged affair with a team-mate's ex-girlfriend which cost him the England captaincy in 2010.

Born in Barking, east London, Terry, 31, made his name as a teenager, making his first-team debut as a 17-year-old.

France World Cup-winner Marcel Desailly was at Chelsea from 1998 to 2004 and gave an emerging Terry the benefit of his experience.

Desailly said: "There will be plenty of foreigners who will come and go, but he [Terry] will stay there and make the new players understand the spirit of the club and the story of the where it has come from."

The France defender's prediction proved correct.

In his first full season as Chelsea skipper in 2004-05, Terry led the club to the Premier League title for the first time.

The defender started 36 of the 38 Premier League matches that season and his form resulted in him being crowned PFA Player of the Year. He was a key part of Jose Mourinho's Chelsea side that won consecutive league titles.

Current Real Madrid boss Mourinho said: "When you say that John Terry was a fantastic captain for me you are right."

Terry was first called up to the England squad by Sven-Goran Eriksson in June 2003. In the 2006 World Cup, England went out at the quarter-final stage but Terry was the only English player to be named in the tournament's all-star squad

These performances led to him being named national captain in August 2006 under Steve McClaren.

But before and after he was given that honour, Terry seemed a magnet for bad publicity. In the summer of 2002, when some had thought the 21-year-old Terry might be in England's World Cup squad, he instead found himself in court accused of attacking a nightclub doorman with a bottle. The jury found him not guilty.

In 2008 he was fined £60 for parking his Bentley in a disabled bay and he has also been banned from driving for speeding. And during the speeding charge hearing in June 2011 it emerged police found a tracking device attached to his car - with his lawyer suggesting it may have helped paparazzi target the footballer.

Terry's England captaincy lasted two years before he was stripped of the honour in February 2010 following the allegations he had an affair with the ex-partner of Wayne Bridge, his former Chelsea and England team-mate.

Terry unsuccessfully attempted to use an injunction to prevent the media from reporting the allegations and when Chelsea next played Bridge's Manchester City side, the left-back made the high-profile gesture of refusing to shake Terry's hand.

But within months of the controversy Terry had led Chelsea to the league and cup double and he remained a hero to most of the club's fans - and often publicly acknowledged their support.

And while the negative headlines stacked up, Terry was quietly supporting charities, campaigning against knife crime and making a donation that helped keep the football team he played for as a boy in business .

He kept his England place after the 2010 World Cup despite being criticised for his defending when England were knocked out by Germany and for speaking negatively of the team's performance in a news conference during the tournament - a move which some observers interpreted as a response to being stripped of the leadership of the squad.

And to the surprise of many, he was reappointed England captain in March 2011 after Rio Ferdinand - the man chosen as his replacement as skipper - suffered a long-term injury. But, again, Terry's tenure was ended by controversy.

Terry was alleged to have made racist comments towards Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand, Rio Ferdinand's brother, in a league match on 23 October 2011. He denied the charge - and would ultimately be found not guilty at Westminster Magistrates' Court.

But the racism charge saw the Football Association relieve Terry of his captaincy duties for a second time in February. Fabio Capello, then England manager, resigned shortly afterwards having criticised the decision.

Terry found himself at the centre of another storm but still helped lead Chelsea to the FA Cup and Champions League - although he was suspended for the European final after a red card against Barcelona.

Despite the success, critics were still questioning whether his football ability was on the decline.

Then came Euro 2012 and, despite England's exit to Italy in the quarter-final, Terry's reputation on the field was restored with a series of strong performances.

England coach Hodgson said after the tournament: "He has been a top-class professional and very good off the field as well."

Team-mates and former managers and coaches - including Mourinho and Ray Wilkins - also praised Terry in statements read to the racism trial.

Wilkins, himself a former Chelsea and England captain, who in spells as a coach and assistant manager at the west London club has known Terry since he was 16, said the player had faced some "unmerciful criticism" and he had never seen him react.

"That's testimony to the guy," Mr Wilkins told the court.

However, Euro 2012 would prove to be Terry's swansong at a major tournament for his country.

He announced his retirement from international football in late September 2012, saying that the FA's decision to pursue charges against him for the episode with Anton Ferdinand meant his position with England had become "untenable".

He denied allegations of using language relating to Ferdinand's ethnicity and faces a personal hearing, which will start on Monday, 24 September, seven weeks after he was charged.

Ferdinand refused to shake Terry's hand in a game between QPR and Chelsea in September, ensuring the matter was back in the headlines again.

But Terry's career has been one largely played out on the back pages of British newspapers and he will remain a high-profile figure as he continues his club career.

-BBC