We are supposed to be in the Chinese Year of the Dragon, but some would argue that 2012 is the year of a dragon of a different kind: John Terry.
And no, it’s not because he has managed to peeve off more footballers by chasing after their wives and girlfriends, it’s because he seems to be the luckiest man in football at the moment.
They say you make your own luck in sport, but at the moment Terry could walk under a ladder, pick up a stray black cat and even break a few mirrors and he would still be able to walk through a blazing furnace unscathed.
Earlier this season, the Chelsea captain scored a vital goal against Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup semi-final that didn’t cross the line, and they went on to beat Liverpool in the final. In the Champions League semi-final second leg against Barcelona, he was sent off in the first half, but by some small miracle his team held on to win and he ended up lifting the trophy in Munich.
And Tuesday night’s goal-line clearance against Ukraine was again evidence that a Euro 2012 winners medal is destined for his neck. Yes, the same cold chill that went through your spine also made me sit up straight in my chair.
It was the same feeling most of us felt when “JT” went up and collected the Champions League trophy without having been on the pitch in the final.
That moment put all sports bodies on high alert, as they had to get in extra security to guard against Terry sneaking into ceremonies and lifting the trophies in tournaments he wasn’t involved in.
That’s why current England captain Steven Gerrard will do well to rub something over his nose and mouth that can withstand chloroform, otherwise he could be knocked out and Terry would gladly volunteer to lift the trophy.
And afterwards, Terry will also drive the bus – the one Chelsea used in the Champions League and the same one England borrowed for the Euros – for the team’s victory parade down the streets of London. It will be the cherry on top of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, as she wouldn’t have thought that she would again see an England team win another major tournament in her lifetime.
But this seems to be Terry’s year, and while it is the year of the dragon in China, it might be the year of the Three Lions in Europe. And, although it might be neutered lions because of their defensive tactics and their fondness for parking the bus, it seems like the luck is on their side and, probably more bizarrely, on Terry’s side.
So at least the players’ wives and girlfriends at the Euros will be safe from “JT”. I just don’t know about that big-eared trophy, though…
TWEETS OF THE WEEK
@VaughanCricket (former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan on John Terry’s controversial clearance against Ukraine): JT is always in the right place at the right time.....
@RobbieSavage8 (the former player and now television pundit share his views on Terry’s performance): So John Terry clears the ball when it’s over the line he’s a world beater yeah right, England have been poor defensively and all over pitch.
WHO TO FOLLOW
@ManUTourSA: Get all the information about Manchester United’s tour of South Africa, including ticket information for the matches against AmaZulu and Ajax Cape Town, as well as the team’s open training sessions.
*Follow John Goliath on Twitter: @Anchorman82
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