Position: Defender
Born: 07.12.80
Club: Chelsea

Such is the worldwide admiration for Chelsea's inspirational skipper, it is easy to forget that John Terry only made his England debut in June 2003. At the age of 25, he heads to his first World Cup widely recognised as one of the best centre-backs on the planet.

It all represents a far cry from Terry's rebellious formative years, when he had a tendency to hit the front pages more often than the back. To his credit, however, he became something of a reformed character off the field and he was soon showing the benefits of his more 'settled' lifestyle with a series of commanding displays for the Blues.

Claudio Ranieri once memorably commended his performances as "extraterrestrial" but it was the arrival of the 'special one' Jose Mourinho that really saw Terry's career take off. The two have clearly struck up a close relationship at Stamford Bridge, with the Portuguese boss shaping his captain into a true leader of men.

And as the plaudits - and silverware - have mounted up for the pride of west London (who is actually an EastEnder by birth) in recent months, so his centre-back colleagues for England suffered occasional injuries and lapses in form.

But Terry has been as steadfast for his country as he has for his club, thus putting him ahead of the rest.