Football: BLOOD BROTHERS; ENGLAND IN PORTUGAL: Proud new dad John Terry on a 'tough guy' tradition England centre-half shows spirit of Butcher: I never let others see I'm in pain.

Byline: DEREK McGOVERN David MCDONNELL reports from Portugal

JOHN TERRY sent a defiant message to England's World Cup rivals yesterday, warning them that he won't be bullied by anyone in Germany this summer.

The Chelsea skipper flew home from England's training camp in Portugal yesterday to be with his fiancee Toni Poole for the birth of their twins but was in tears, of joy and sadness, after missing their arrival.

The twins - a boy and a girl - were delivered at lunch-time and both are doing fine.

But at the World Cup the new dad aims to show the steel of another imperious England stopper, Terry Butcher, and make himself the rock on which Sven Goran Eriksson's defence is built.

The sight of Butcher (above), head swathed in a bloodied bandage, after England had secured a draw against Sweden to clinch their place at the 1990 World Cup, has become an iconic image.

Although the pictures may not be as memorable as that of Butcher, Terry performed an equally heroic act as Chelsea retained the title with a 3-0 win over Manchester United three weeks ago.

A vicious tackle from Wayne Rooney after 12 minutes caused a nasty gash to Terry's right ankle and as his sock filled with blood he could have been forgiven for withdrawing from the action.

But Terry showed strength of character to finish the first-half and, after receiving 10 stitches to the wound at half-time, somehow managed to finish the match, hobbling at the final whistle.

"My sock was full of blood after that tackle from Wayne," said Terry. "But there was no way I was coming off. I'm one of those blokes who never likes the opposition to know I'm hurt.

"That's something my dad taught me as a kid. You always try to stay on your feet. My ankle was so painful but I managed to stay on the pitch and took pride in that. People have said that maybe I should have come off, that the title was already won and there was no need to take risks. But I had so much adrenalin going through my body, and an injection to numb the pain, because I wanted to be out there to lift that trophy.

"I said to the manager after the game: 'Thank God you never took me off.' But he had no intention of making me come off.

"We'd just reclaimed the title, we were 3-0 up against United, the fans were buzzing and the pain only really kicked in about an hour later."

Such raw courage has seen Terry become arguably England's most important defender and he will take the same fearless attitude into the World Cup campaign. And the 26-year-old acknowledged his approach is at odds with many players in the modern game, who are quite willing to go down under the slightest of touches.

"My mentality is always to bounce back - from every challenge, never to stay down," he added. "As I said, it's my dad's fault. He used to play a bit when he was younger and I'd go and watch him. He had that attitude of never going down and that's where I got it from.

"That is the attitude I will take into the World Cup. I will stand up to any opponent and make it clear I'm not going to let him bully me or push me about. I'll throw myself in front of anything and bounce straight back up.

"I think the whole England team will be like that. We'll show them we're ready for a fight but 4 that we've also got enough quality in the team to give anyone a game."

Given Terry's status in the game now for both Chelsea and England, it is hard to believe he only made his international debut three years ago and still has just 22 caps to his name. His big break came at Euro 2004 when, with Rio Ferdinand suspended for missing a drugs test, he joined Sol Campbell in defence and has been a first-choice pick ever since. Successive Premiership titles and experience in Europe in the Champions League have moulded Terry into one of the world's best defenders.

"The last couple of years have been good for me," said Terry. "I've grown in confidence and have brought that to the England team.

"Jose Mourinho has brought a winning mentality to Chelsea and you can see the confidence of our boys in the England squad. Now we have to produce that collectively at the World Cup."

ENGL AND'S HARD NUT DEFENDERS

JACK CHARLTON 

IN his World Cup-winning heyday, opposing strikers had nightmares about having their names scribbled in Big Jack's infamous little black book - because it meant a bone-crunching tackle was coming their way.

NORMAN HUNTER 

CHARLTON'S legendary hard man partner in the infamous Leeds side of the 60s and 70s, 'Bites Yer Leg' Hunter brought terror to the international stage in his 28-cap career.

DAVE WATSON 

HIS middle name was Vernon, but that was the only vaguely soft trait associated with the no-nonsense Man City defender. Fearless in the tackle, Watson was a strong competitor for England.

TONY ADAMS

THE SIGHT of the Arsenal skipper throwing himself where angels would fear to tread was commonplace in the 1980s and 1990s and his selfless exploits enabled him to make an impact with England.

STUART PEARCE

THE LEFT-BACK earned his nick name 'Psycho' with some brutal tackling displays. His pride and passion made him a feared player. Shrugged off a headbutt from France's Basile Boli and legend has it he also tried to run off a broken leg.

betfair

Ronaldo is the 13-1 favourite to be top scorer at the World Cup. Here are the other top prices: Adriano 13.5-1' Ronaldinho 15-1' Henry 16-1' Toni 20-1' Crespo 23-1' Owen, van Nistelrooy 24-1' Klose 26-1' Shevchenko 31-1' Pauleta 33-1, Rooney 43-1.

Full details online at www.betfair.com.

CAPTION(S):

CAN'T BREAK ME: John Terry stretches himself training with England in Portugal, after recovering from a vicious tackle by Rooney against United (inset)