England’s legendary goalkeeper Peter Shilton said that he believes John Terry should retain the national team’s captaincy when the World Cup qualifiers get under way in September - and, after considering the alternative options very carefully, I have to agree with his opinion.

The England head coach, Fabio Capello, may have left fans in the dark as to who will be selected to lead his country later this year, but I would be quite surprised if anybody other than the Chelsea skipper was selected by the Italian. He is a born leader who will relish the challenge of guiding England to a second World Cup title more than anyone.

The England captain must be a role model on and off the pitch, which youngsters throughout the country can aspire to be like and follow their example. Their behaviour must be exemplary and their motivational skills must be of an extremely high standard.

As well as Terry, Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard and Manchester United’s Rio Ferdinand will both be at the forefront of Capello’s mind at the moment in terms of who will be selected, because both of them would also make terrific England skippers. They were also both selected as captains for individual matches by Capello in his recent friendly rotation system. It could be that one of them will in fact be chosen as the first choice captain, and attempt to lead the group of international underachievers into a major tournament.

But, as Shilton said in his interview yesterday, if there was one man out on the park playing for England who you would expect to see making last-ditch tackles or dramatic goal-line clearances, it would be Terry every single time. He enjoys the captaincy role more than anyone in the team, and the pressure on his shoulders will feel more like a massage than a heavy weight. He thrives on big challenges.

Gerrard, of course, has saved Liverpool on so many occasions with his inspirational runs from midfield and powerful shots, and he can never be ignored when the national team are looking for a captain. But, while Gerrard would hate to lose his armband at Liverpool, I believe he may perform better for England if he doesn’t have so much pressure on him with extra responsibility. Terry would, though - it just suits his game completely.

Ferdinand, who has excelled in recent years for high-flying Manchester United, will be another candidate for the much-hyped role. He will not be as instructive and loud on the pitch as Terry and Gerrard, but his composed and thoughtful defending would send a message out to the rest of the team to not panic on the ball. He will use his mouth when needed though.

All three of these terrific footballers would undoubtedly make brilliant England captains, but in my opinion Terry should be given the armband because he offers greater attributes that would help him cope with the responsibility.