England captain John Terry fired by thoughts of Cristiano Ronaldo's wink and Moscow slip

07 October 2009 09:16
Sign up to watch Ukraine against England now [LNB]The England captain has claimed every domestic honour available during his time with Chelsea though the penalty shoot-out defeat to Manchester United in the final of the Champions League in 2008 still haunts him. [LNB] Related ArticlesSir Alf and Capello share glint of steelUkraine v England: ITV highlights offer rejectedWatch Ukraine v England live onlineTheo Walcott gets England U21 call-upEngland prepare for Ukraine qualifierSven vs Cheryl, X-Factor fightSo too does defeat to Portugal in the quarter-finals of the 2006 World Cup, when Terry had travelled to Germany convinced that England could take the honours. [LNB]The sight of Ronaldo signalling to the bench after Wayne Rooney's dismissal for his foul on Ricardo Carvalho is emblematic of England's failure then to Terry, just as Steve McClaren's umbrella has become for the side that failed to qualify for the 2008 European Championships, under McClaren's guidance and Terry's captaincy. [LNB]This season, then, provides one of the game's great competitors the chance to right a few perceived wrongs and fill a couple of spaces in his trophy cabinet. [LNB]'This is my biggest season ahead of me and it's important to stay fit and keep playing well for Chelsea,' said Terry. [LNB]'And when the England games come up, I need to show how important I am to the team and to the manager, and keep the lads moving in the right direction. [LNB]'Everybody knows the determination within myself to go on and win the Champions League with Chelsea, there is no bigger challenge than that. [LNB]'And with the England situation, I was captain of that side that didn't qualify and I took that very personally, and took a lot on my shoulders. I want to make sure that in my career I win the Champions League and go to the World Cup confident we can do well. [LNB]'It would 100 per cent always annoy me if I retired without a Champions League winners' medal with Chelsea or some real success with England. To end my career without either of those things is unthinkable. [LNB]'What happened in the Champions League final I have to deal with every day. Whether it be five, 10, 15 or 20 times a day, I deal with it in my way and try to use it as a positive. With England it's the same. [LNB]'We went to 2006 as potential winners and not reaching that level or beating a side we dominated, and going out on penalties, is hard to get your head around for weeks, months, years and even now. [LNB]'I still remember Ronaldo winking at the bench. Things like that live with you forever.'[LNB]England have long been thought of to have a 'golden generation' of players, each tournament seemingly bringing around the best chance in a generation to win a major honour. [LNB]But the truth is, as with Chelsea's own ageing squad, that this World Cup will likely be the last for a number of key players, Terry included, and so an added motivation, if it were needed. [LNB]'I often look on the internet at my own personal statistics and what I've won,' Terry said. 'I'm very fortunate to have been part of great sides and to have won what I've won. [LNB]'But every time I look at it, the thing that's missing is the Champions League. We have two or three years to put that right because Chelsea have players around the ages of 28 to 31 who are big, key players. If we don't win it in that timescale, it's going to be difficult. It makes you more determined. [LNB]'It's the same with England, we've a lot of big players in the peak of their careers and this could be our last World Cup. It could be our last chance and maybe that will give the players even more drive. [LNB]'We've been playing well because we have not been talking about the World Cup, not saying we can win it and not giving people ammunition. We want to go to South Africa, be as quiet as possible, get on with our football and, hopefully, come away with the trophy.'[LNB]Sign up to watch Ukraine against England now [LNB]EmailPrint .at15t_email {display:none !important;}Share|tweetmeme_url = 'http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/international/worldcup/6267864/England-captain-John-Terry-fired-by-thoughts-of-Cristiano-Ronaldos-wink-and-Moscow-slip.html';tweetmeme_style = 'compact';tweetmeme_source = 'TelegraphNews';Email|Printhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/international/worldcup/6267864/England-captain-John-Terry-fired-by-thoughts-of-Cristiano-Ronaldos-wink-and-Moscow-slip.htmlTelegraphNews World Cup 

Source: Telegraph