Out of all of the soccer games you’ve seen in person or on television, how many times have you seen a player move his head out of the way to avoid getting pummeled by a shot that looks like it’s going to hit him? For me, it’s been too many times to count. At that velocity, the ball is going to sting and hurt someone. But some defenders put their body on the line and do everything they can for their club or country.

That’s exactly the case with John Terry who heroically attempted to defend an onslaught from Slovenia where they had three clear-cut chances in quick succession to score, but on the second attempt, Terry dived down low across the ground and attempted to block the shot with his diving header. In an almost salmon-like move, Terry failed to reach the ball and it ended up ricocheting off Glen Johnson’s leg. But it was John Terry’s effort that should be applauded and it shows glimmers of the best of him from previous World Cup and European Championship tournaments when he was at the top of his game.