John Terry voted best centre-back in Premier League history by The Independent readers

Chelsea centre-back won 37 per cent of the vote

(Getty Images)

Readers of The Independent have voted John Terry the best Premier League centre-back since the division’s inception in 1992.

The Chelsea captain, who has won three league titles in a 16-year career at Stamford Bridge, was the runaway winner of the poll with more than a third of the vote.

Terry, 33, captained the Blues for the 500th time in all competitions against Crystal Palace on Saturday as Chelsea won 2-1 at Selhurst Park to maintain their unbeaten start to the season. Chelsea are already five points clear of title rivals Manchester City, while Arsenal find themselves 11 points behind Jose Mourinho’s leaders.

Terry, who has played 429 Premier League matches for the club, scoring 34 goals, dominated a poll that included one-time England colleagues Rio Ferdinand, Sol Campbell and Jamie Carragher.

Out of a total 658 votes when voting closed, Terry won a staggering 240, or 36 per cent, way ahead of Arsenal legend Adams, who came second with 21 per cent of the vote (141 votes).

Terry won a staggering 37 per cent of the vote (Getty Images)

Adams helped Arsenal to four league titles, two of those coming in the old First Division, while Ferdinand came third with 60 votes, slightly ahead of long-time Manchester United defensive partner Nemanja Vidic (55).

Arsenal legend Tony Adams came second with 141 votes (Getty Images)

Surprisingly Sol Campbell, despite his part in Arsenal’s invincible season of 2003-04, where they went unbeaten, garnered just 31 votes, or five per cent, only one ahead of Tottenham defensive stalwart Ledley King.

Jaap Stam managed a healthy 33 votes despite playing less than 80 matches in the Premier League, though he was a formidable opponent in his brief spell at Manchester United.

Rio Ferdinand came third in the poll (Getty Images)

Vincent Kompany came eighth with 23 votes, while Liverpool pair Sami Hyypia (23) and Jamie Carragher (22) propped up the other 10 defenders with just a combined six per cent of the vote.