Why Terry will never miss such a needle match

At around 4pm today, John Terry will run through the proverbial brick wall when England team doctor Leif Sward administers a shot of Marcain in his broken toe, enabling him to captain his country against Israel at Wembley.

Terry is not certain of the long-term implications of the local anaesthetic he has been taking every week since he fractured the little toe on his right foot in July, but leading out the Three Lions is all that counts.

Puff out the chest, breathe in deeply and play through the pain barrier.

The England captain, who suffered the injury in Chelsea's pre-season friendly against Club America, said: "It's a short career and I don't want to miss a single game for Chelsea or England, or even a day's training.

"If that means having an injection, that's what I will do. In 10 or 15 years' time, I don't want to turn round and say: 'I wish I could have played in this game or that game'. You don't think too far in the future."

Steven Gerrard, who has not played since Liverpool's 1-1 draw with Chelsea on August 19, has been advised he will not require an injection ahead of the game.

The Liverpool skipper has fractured the big toe on his right foot, but he has a different injury to Terry and has been told that he can play with it untreated.

Fortunately, they have both been under the skilled guidance of England physio Gary Lewin this week, and his expertise has ensured they will play.

Lewin is recognised as the best in the business and the only risk to Terry is if he suffers a recurrence of the same injury.

The England captain will flinch the moment the needle impinges on the nerve in his toe, but then he will not feel a thing in the affected area for the next three to five hours.

Andrew Flintoff will have his own pain-killing injection in order to play in cricket's final one-day international against India today, but there is still a price to pay.

After the game, it is ice baths and more than hint of discomfort.

Terry, who will earn his 41st cap this evening, added: "I don't really feel any different.

"It just swells so I will ice it for a few hours after the game. Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and I all do the right thing and get that swelling down and get ready for the next game.

"Whether it's going to hinder me when I'm 36 or 40 I don't know. I've got a short career and I'll do anything to play.

"I've been playing since day one of the season with an injection. From a doctor's point of view, they have told me at Chelsea that my toe is not going to get any worse by having the injection and playing.

"If it was going to make it worse, it would be a different issue and it wouldn't be right. As it is, it might just take a little longer to heal."

The England captain needs at least a month's rest for the bone to heal, but commitments to club and country mean he will have to wait — and he will not have it any other way.

Terry said: "With the injections every game and in training, it's going to take between six and eight months to heal — it's a broken toe in my foot.

"It's not going to kill me. You carry on. If there was an issue about making it worse, maybe Jose Mourinho would have stepped in, but it would still come down to me. If I say I can play, I will."

Nothing can get in the way of Terry earning another cap, but others claim that a jab of Marcain still carries risks.

Former Aston Villa physio Jim Walker, who is credited with extending the career of Paul McGrath after he signed from Manchester United, believes there are long-term implications with injections.

Walker, who now works for EXPRO, which helps players who have fallen on hard times, said: "I was always reluctant to give an injection.

"Paul McGrath asked for one on his shoulder prior to the 1994 League Cup Final and Andy Townsend insisted on one on his foot — 99 per cent of British players will do that.

"The next game is always important but really it's not worthwhile. You have to let the injury heal. Some of them don't even know what's being injected into them. They just don't want to let anyone down."