Terry, 37, announced his retirement on Sunday after 23 years as a footballer.

Essien who played alongside Terry during a nine-year stint at Chelsea between 2005-2014 took to Instagram to eulogise Terry.

He posted: "I wish you all the best for the future #Captain @johnterry.26 You were one of the best leaders I ever played with. Thank you for the memories Georgie".

Terry captained Essien and his other Chelsea teammates to nine trophies including the English Premier League, FA Cup, Football League Cup, FA Community Shield and UEFA Champions League.

Terry made 78 England appearances and left Chelsea in 2017 after two decades at the London club and 492 appearances and 41 goals.

Terry spent the 2017-18 season at Aston Villa and his last game as a professional was the 1-0 Championship play-off final defeat to Fulham in May.

He left Villa Park when his one-year contract expired and turned down a move to Spartak Moscow last month, despite reportedly having a medical, saying it was not right for his family.