John Terry has hit back at Rio Ferdinand on Twitter following the former Manchester United defender's interview with Virgil van Dijk ahead of the Champions League final. The former Chelsea captain, who is often regarded as one of the greatest defenders in the top-flight era, was ranked as the fifth best centre-half in Premier League history by his fellow countryman - Ferdinand put himself at the top of the pile.
The 41-year-old performed at the highest level for almost two decades, winning five league titles, five FA Cups, and two European honours, among countless other pieces of silverware too. Terry finished his career on 492 top-flight appearances and is known by many as the Blues' most successful captain in the club's history.
He also featured 78 times for England before retiring from international football in 2012 to concentrate on his club career. But, despite Terry's credentials and a glittering trophy cabinet, Ferdinand ranked the former Chelsea defender fifth in the all-time Premier League centre-half rankings behind Jaap Stam in fourth, Van Djik third, Nemanja Vidic in second and himself top.
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Meanwhile, the Liverpool defender took himself out of the equation and also put Ferdinand top, followed by Vincent Kompany, Stam, Terry and Sami Hyypia. Indulging in history is always a fiercely-contested argument, with the infamous Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes debate a common discourse during international breaks.
Unhappy with Ferdinand's list, Terry initially responded on Instagram via his story with a selection of statistics that compile some of his best honours and achievements. He captioned his post, as pictured below: "Opinions are great but stats don't lie."
Ferdinand then responded on Twitter. The former United defender's tweet read: "@JohnTerry26 The moment one has to start pushing their own records and stats it’s really time to start addressing the fragile ego. Your lucky I even put you in the top 5 after the racism case with my brother so be thankful you made it."
Terry was accused of using racist language towards Ferdinand's brother, Anton, during a game between QPR and Chelsea at Loftus Road in October 2011, for which he received a four-game ban and a £220,000 fine from the FA.
However, the former Chelsea and England captain was cleared in court after being charged over the incident, and has always denied abusing Ferdinand.
Replying to Ferdinand's tweet, Terry said: "A fragile Ego is putting yourself at Number 1 @rioferdy5. Thanks for putting me in your top 5."
Though amid the commotion, Ferdinand did, however, heap praise on Terry when explaining his decisions to Van Djik. He claimed he was a 'much better footballer' than people say he was after fruitful spells with Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa.
He said: "In terms of his longevity at that club, what they won, body on the line, a much better footballer than people give him credit for, could play off his left and right foot."
