John Terry: A Better Captain for England Than Steven Gerrard or Wayne Rooney?

John Terry recently returned to his position as captain of England, as he was handed the armband again from manager Fabio Capello after a year without it.

He'd lost it to Rio Ferdinand due to Terry tackling his reputation in the tabloids due to scandals more so than tackling defenders in his penalty area.

With Ferdinand now injured, Capello handed the reins back to the man who has held them since former skipper Steve McLaren gave him the title in 2006.

That in and of itself should be cause to question the move. McLaren's tenure as leader of England was one of the low points of England's continued failure to reach the finals of a major competition.

For a country that has the best futbol league in the world and claims to have invented the sport (something both China and Greece lay claim to as well), their only World Cup came on a controversial goal on their home turf. But that was 45 years ago, and the team's been one of the most unfortunate in terms of leaving major competitions on penalties as opposed to in regular time.

McLaren will forever be remembered as the man who managed the only ranked futbol team that failed to qualify for Euro 2008. One of McLaren's most questionable moves was playing just three central defenders, one of whom was John Terry, in a 3-2 loss to Croatia. Not that any of that was Terry's fault.

It's true that a captain should be a vocal leader in the locker room. It's true that John Terry can be that voice. It's true that a captain should lead on the pitch with effort. It's also true that Terry would run through a goalpost to save a goal. But the game is not only technical, tactical and physical, three qualities that Terry possesses; it's also psychological.

It's one thing to have a player involved in a sex scandal. It's quite another when the player is married, to quite the WAG in Toni Poole, with three children and was recently voted Daddy of the Year (by Daddies Sauce).

It's one thing that the affair be made public in the media. It's quite another when the player tried to block the reporting of it with a "super injunction" to the Justice.

It's one thing to have an affair with the ex-lover of many English football players, Vanessa Perroncel. It's quite another when she was also the partner of a teammate, Wayne Bridge.

All of these incidents may seem minor. But how can a team put 100 percent of their trust in their leader when that leader's betrayed a teammate?

Terry's never been an angel. He hit a Chelsea security officer with his car while leaving after a loss to Inter Milan in the Champions League. While the accident broke the leg of the officer, Terry claims to have not noticed it, which is why he never stopped the car.

He is one of the highest-paid futbol players in the world, yet he was selling private access to both himself and his club. He did this without the consent of Carlo Ancelotti, the club's manager. He insisted the money would go to a children's charity, but also admitted, "if the club finds out, it's a little bit...if anyone finds out, then we can't do it no more."

No, the captain's armband never came with it instructions on how to live like a saint. But players, like it or not, are role models. Samsung doesn't pay for their names on the jerseys without reason. A child sees Terry play, wearing that Chelsea blue, he wants to wear that Chelsea blue, and maybe even buy a Samsung. Captains are held in higher regard than the players, and the criteria are greater.

Some of the greatest players in the world have their own demons to deal with. Wayne Rooney is still trying to emerge from the shadow of his prostitutes, disagreements with Sir Alex Ferguson over his future at Manchester United and recent two-match suspension for shouting expletives at a camera on the pitch.

But much like Eric Cantona did years ago, and just as tennis legend John McEnroe seemed to master it in his climb to finally overtake Bjorn Borg as Wimbledon champion, Rooney seems to harness that energy and use it to elevate his already superior level of play. I've never seen that in John Terry.

Yesterday's loss to Manchester United saw him complain about the non-call of a penalty in Chelsea's 1-0 loss. Many will easily recall the last time the two giants faced each other in the Champions League final of 2008. Cristiano Ronaldo's miss gave John Terry the chance to win it for Chelsea, and he lost his footing, and the victory.

More importantly, Chelsea's striker Didier Drogba had been sent off with a red card just minutes before extra time expired for slapping Nemanja Vidic. That act alone should caution any team when choosing a captain, and Terry's temper after that card was apparent, weaving through the players to confront Carlos Tevez.

Whether or not that had anything to do with the outcome of the penalties can't be determined. But on futbol's biggest stage, the tactical and technical elements of the game often take a back seat to the psychological. Hence, the number of goals we see so often in extra time, when players are physically and mentally tired.

The leader must be able to lead his team through the turbulent waters that the biggest stage will provide. For just that reason, Rooney won't be on the short list of candidates to captain England. For that reason, the decision is a crucial one.    

Terry first inherited the armband from Michael Owen, who was subbed off during a World Cup qualifier against Poland. He got the job for good following the honor held by David Beckham. Both players wore boots I don't envy any player trying to fill. I just don't know if John Terry's the right man to try to lace them on.