John Terry has admitted his bravery in the face of adversity as he faced the United States last May was probably a major factor in keeping the England captaincy.

Coach Fabio Capello sprung a surprise by choosing Terry as his permanent skipper ahead of Rio Ferdinand.

Most pundits - and bookmakers - expected Ferdinand to get the job ahead of Wednesday night's Wembley clash with the Czech Republic.

Instead, Terry will keep the armband he cherishes so much, having originally been appointed by Steve McClaren.

"It showed my character to the manager," said Terry.

"To bounce back the way I did after that huge disappointment showed what kind of person I am. Maybe that persuaded him.

"I don't know if it did but it was a big boost to get the captain's armband against the United States.

"I went on the pitch, played well and scored the goal. It helped to relieve the pressure a small amount for me and now I just want to get on with the job."

In keeping with his secretive methods, Capello kept his counsel until after training ahead of the friendly, before pulling his squad to one side as a group and informing them of his choice.

While Ferdinand was presumably disappointed at missing out, he has been awarded the vice-captaincy, with Terry confirming the pride he feels at keeping the job.

"Everybody realises the armband means the world to me," he said.

"For me to get it above the likes of him (Ferdinand) and the other players in the squad is a great honour and a fabulous achievement."

Such had been the certainty that Ferdinand would named skipper, even Terry expected to miss out.

In fact, the defender was probably more shocked than any of his team-mates when Capello, who had not even told his coaching team, revealed his choice.

"I'd never given up on the armband and never will do," he said.

"I had heard whispers that Rio had got it so I was a little bit shocked but I've got to make the most of it."

Capello gave both Ferdinand and Terry a game as skipper, with Steven Gerrard and David Beckham also being handed the job on a one-off basis as the Italian made up his mind.

While he accepted Ferdinand did well in France and had impressed all season with Manchester United, he felt Terry's sheer force of character was the major factor in his favour.

"It was not easy for me to choose because they are very good players," said Capello.

"But the captain is very important because he is the driver of the team. Rio is very important but I chose John because of his big personality."

For Terry it is an opportunity to remove the stigma of being an England captain that failed.

While he can never erase the fact he was leader of a side that failed to reach Euro 2008, the 27-year-old can make amends.

Having learned some valuable lessons during his 14 matches in charge, Terry is not about to start proclaiming England as potential World Cup winners.

For now, qualification will do and, for him, the opportunity to be a winner for the Three Lions.

"This is another chance for me," he said.

"It is an opportunity to captain a winning team.

"Let's not talk about winning the World Cup. We just want to qualify.

"It is in our hands to do it. We have certainly got the players to."

John Terry Factfile

1980 - December 7: Born in London.

1998 - October 28: Makes Chelsea debut against Aston Villa.

2000 - Has a two-month loan spell at Nottingham Forest.

2002 - May 4: Loses in FA Cup final to Arsenal.

2003 - June 3: Makes his England debut against Serbia and Montenegro, coming on as a half-time substitute.

2004 - June 24: Penalised for foul on Portugal goalkeeper Ricardo, denying Sol Campbell a winner in the European Championship quarter-final.

August 15: Appointed Chelsea skipper for the start of the season, succeeding Marcel Desailly.

2005 - April: Chelsea win Premiership.

2006 - April: Plays in the final game of title-winning season - a 3-0 win over rivals Manchester United.

July: England are knocked out of the World Cup at the quarter-final stage.

August 10: Chosen as new England captain by head coach Steve McClaren to replace David Beckham.

August 16: England beat Greece 4-0 in a friendly in Terry's first game as captain. The centre-half also scores the first goal of the new era.

October 11: Terry suffers his first defeat as England skipper, losing 2-0 in Croatia in a Euro 2008 qualifier.

November 5: Sent off for two bookable offences as Chelsea lose 2-1 at Tottenham. Terry later claims referee Graham Poll had given him conflicting reasons for his second yellow card. Poll subsequently denies this claim.

November 30: Terry charged with improper conduct by the Football Association for his comments about Poll.

December 17: Misses the 3-2 win over Everton at Goodison Park because of a back injury.

December 26: Manager Jose Mourinho admits he has "no idea" when Terry will be back for the champions.

December 28: Chelsea confirm the England captain has successfully undergone surgery on his back in France.

2007 - January 8: Withdraws request for a personal hearing and admits charge over comments about Poll. He is fined £10,000 and reprimanded by the Football Association.

February 25: The Chelsea skipper is knocked unconscious during the Carling Cup final victory over Arsenal when Abou Diaby's foot accidentally connects with his head but is able to return to the Millennium Stadium within two hours of being rushed to hospital.

June 1: Scores the first senior England goal at the new Wembley in the 1-1 draw with Brazil.

July 27: Ends speculation over his future by signing a new five-year deal with Chelsea.

September 29: Suffers a broken cheekbone in a match against Fulham.

October 19: Undergoes surgery on a knee injury - suffered in training

- which rules him out of England's crucial Euro 2008 qualifiers against Estonia, Russia and Croatia.

December 16: Leaves the Emirates Stadium on crutches after a challenge from Arsenal's Emmanuel Eboue.

December 17: Chelsea confirm he has broken three bones in his foot.

February 16: Returns from injury in 3-1 FA Cup defeat of Huddersfield, having missed England's first match under new manager Fabio Capello, against Switzerland on February 6..

March 8: Slams their FA Cup quarter-final exit at the hands of Barnsley as an "unacceptable result and performance".

March 25: Loses out as Rio Ferdinand is named England captain for friendly against France.

May 11: Dislocates elbow in early stages of final game of the Premier League season - a 1-1 draw with Bolton. Miss out to Manchester United in title race by two points but leads his side on a lap of honour.

May 21: Misses penalty which would have won Chelsea the Champions League. Manchester United win the shoot-out and Terry later admits he will be "haunted forever" by the kick.

May 27: Named England captain for England's friendly against the USA.

August 12: Claims Manchester United have "peaked" ahead of the start of the new season and backs new Chelsea coach Luiz Felipe Scolari to lead them to glory.

August 17: Helps Chelsea to a 4-0 win over Portsmouth in the opening game of the new Premier League campaign at Stamford Bridge.

August 19: Named as permanent captain of England by coach Fabio Capello ahead of their friendly against Czech Republic at Wembley.

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