According to ESPN, John Terry has no plans to return to international football, even though the Three Lions are facing a difficult time of late despite playing on home turf, with losses to Chile and Germany raising questions over England’s prospects of getting to the latter stages in the FIFA World Cup next year in Brazil.

England’s greats and pundits saw Terry as the ideal centre back for the country, and perhaps one of the best the nation had ever produced. His leadership qualities speak for themselves, and his legendary status at Stamford Bridge is testament to his abilities as a leader and defender. Tall and strong enough to hold out the best strikers, the former West Ham United defender was set to play for his country, never mind captain the side for a longer period. However, Terry’s career has been scarred by controversies over the past few seasons. His relationship with former club and international team mate Wayne Bridge deteriorated when Terry was found involved in personal issues sensitive to the former. This not only led to Terry’s image being damaged in the country, but also led to Bridge’s retirement from international football. As his career began recuperating, another incident took place, when Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand accused Terry of using racially abusive language against him in a fixture at Loftus Road, and after thorough investigation, Terry was found guilty by video footage of racial abuse. Even though the magistrate cleared Terry of the charge officially, the video was there for all to see, including the Football Association, who were under pressure to take action against the defender. Terry was stripped off the captaincy, and shortly after announced his retirement from international football.

The World Cup in Brazil is going to be a big test for Roy Hodgson’s side, and even though he played a young side against Chile and Germany, with players like Adam Lallana and Jay Rodrigues making their debuts, the fans are concerned about their realistic chances of progressing through the group stage. The draw for the World Cup takes place on December 6th.