John Terry has expressed his delight at being re-named England captain, and says he is honoured to have been picked by Fabio Capello.

Having captained the side under previous England manager Steve McClaren, the Chelsea skipper has been picked by the Italian to lead out the country for the forthcoming World Cup qualifying campaign.

Understandably, JT was delighted to have been given the nod.

'It means the world to me to retain the armband, especially with the players in the squad who are playing so well and have achieved so much over the last couple of years. To get the armband back is a huge achievement for me,' he said.

'I'd never given up on the chance to wear the armband once again and never will do. It is a very proud moment for me today. I heard little whispers that Rio [Ferdinand] had got it, but I am absolutely delighted and have got to make the most of it.'

Manchester United's Ferdinand will be vice-captain to the Blues defender, who captained the side 14 times under McClaren.

In that time, he suffered several injuries, forcing him to miss key matches, but his record is impressive with eight wins, four draws and two defeats.

So far, Terry has won 44 caps, and will make it 45 on Wednesday night when he leads the side out to face the Czech Republic.

The 27-year-old explained when he had found out about Capello's decision, and what it was that made him the standout candidate.

'It was about an hour ago just after training,' he said, at lunchtime on Tuesday. 'The manager called everyone together and told the squad as a whole. I was a little bit shocked, Rio has been in awesome form on the pitch for Man United. To get it above him and the other players in the squad means a lot to me.

'I've got experience of the armband 14 games before, I'm very proud and the target now is to qualify for the World Cup.

'I wear my heart on my sleeve and I give it everything I possibly can do. I've showed what I can do on and off the pitch and it makes me very proud that the likes of Mr Capello, Mourinho, Scolari have seen somethingi n me to give me the armband.

'They make me feel very special. I'm the man who's got the job and hopefully the speculation can stop now and we can move forward.'

Capello added his explanation as to why he had chosen the Chelsea man.

'I think the big personality of John is the reason I choose him. The captain is important because he is the driver of the team.

'I remember that John and Rio were captains very well, it is not easy for me to choose the captain, they are both very good players.'

You can still be there to see JT lead out England at Wembley on Wednesday night, with tickets starting from just £30. Log on to www.TheFA.com/tickets or call 0844 826 2010. Booking fees apply.