Who is John Terry?

Former England captain John Terry dramatically quit international football on Sunday, fewer than 24 hours before a Football Association hearing into allegations he racially abused Queens Park Rangers' Anton Ferdinand.

Chelsea skipper Terry, 31, said the FA had made his position "untenable" after he had already been cleared of criminal charges emanating from the controversy which rocked the game last October.

Here is the factfile of Terry:

Birthdate: December 7, 1980

Birthplace: London

1991: Joins West Ham's youth set-up

1995: Moves to Chelsea aged 14

1998: On October 28, makes Chelsea debut against Aston Villa.

2001: In September, one of four players fined two weeks' wages by Chelsea after their behaviour at a Heathrow hotel is criticised on the day after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

2002: Terry and Chelsea team-mate Jody Morris are cleared after being charged with assault and affray in connection with a nightclub incident.

2003: On June 3, makes England debut as substitute against Serbia and Montenegro.

2004: On June 24, appointed Chelsea captain, succeeding Marcel Desailly.

2006: On August 10, appointed England captain in succession to David Beckham by Steve McClaren.

2008: May 21 - Misses penalty in shoot-out against Manchester United which would have won Chelsea the Champions League.

August 19 - Named as permanent captain of England by Fabio Capello.

2009: December 20 - Chelsea defend Terry after allegations he took secret cash payments in return for behind-the-scenes tour of their training ground.

2010: January 29 - Revealed to have been granted a 'gagging' injunction which covered an alleged relationship between married Terry and French model Vanessa Perroncel - a former partner of team-mate Wayne Bridge.

February 5 - Stripped of England captaincy.

February 27 - Bridge refuses to shake Terry's hand before Chelsea's match with Manchester City.

2011: March 19 - Restored as England captain by Capello.

October 23 - Makes statement denying a racist slur against Anton Ferdinand during Chelsea's defeat at QPR after videos had circulated on the internet.

December 21 - The Crown Prosecution Service announce Terry will be charged with racially abusing Ferdinand.

2012: January 28 - The FA cancels the pre-match handshakes before the FA Cup fourth-round tie between QPR and Chelsea "to defuse further tensions" relating to the Terry-Ferdinand situation.

On February 1, District Judge Howard Riddle orders Terry should stand trial in the week beginning July 9 - following Euro 2012.

On February 3, Terry is stripped of the England captaincy by an FA board fearful that otherwise he will prove a distraction during Euro 2012. Decision is taken without consulting Capello.

On February 8, Capello resigns as England manager.

On April 24, sent off in second leg of Champions League semi-final against Barcelona, meaning he will miss the final if Chelsea qualify. They do on back of 2-2 draw for 3-2 aggregate victory.

On May 19, Chelsea win Champions League final after beating Bayern Munich in a penalty shoot-out on Germans' own ground. Terry is ridiculed for changing into Chelsea kit after the final whistle to celebrate with his team-mates.

On June 24, plays the whole match as England lose their Euro 2012 quarter-final to Italy in a penalty shoot-out.

On July 13, cleared at Westminster Magistrates' Court of racially insulting Anton Ferdinand during Chelsea's match against QPR in October last year.

On July 27, Charged by FA over Ferdinand incident.

On August 30, recalled to England squad for September's World Cup qualifiers against Moldova and Ukraine.

On September 9, withdraws from England squad for Ukraine game after suffering an ankle injury in 5-0 win in Moldova.

On September 23, announces retirement from international football, on eve of his FA hearing.