Fabio Capello's decision to choose John Terry as his first permanent skipper will come as blow to Rio Ferdinand, who appeared to be favourite to lead England into the World Cup qualifiers.

Watching Ferdinand over the past few days merely strengthened the belief that this was Rio's time to take the armband.

Even Bobby Moore was never summoned by the Home Secretary to discuss the social issues of the day. Listening to Ferdinand, as he sat alongside Jacqui Smith discussing teenage knife crime with sensitivity and authority, made me realise just what the England football captaincy has come to mean in the modern world.

Ferdinand's confident handling of a harrowing subject in front of a big media audience confirmed his rise from wayward teenager to respected role model, opinion former and worthy England captain. He was today named as vice-captain to Terry, but that will be of little comfort to a man who has grown to excell in his position as a role model to young football fans.

It represents a remarkable turnaround for the Peckham boy whose series of high-profile misdemeanours range from a missed drugs test to the accusation that he organised United's controversial Christmas party.

To be fair, Ferdinand has never tried to hide the fact that he wandered from the straight and narrow. Instead, he decided to clean up his act and improve his image and, as part of that process, he has played an active role in helping charitable causes at home and abroad. But it appears it just wasn't enough for Capello, who has decided to put his faith in the experience and British bulldog spirit of Chelsea's captain, who was thrilled to retain the role he was first given by Steve McClaren.

While no one would question Terry's commitment, some would argue that in the not too distant past he has failed to recognise the responsibility that comes with being captain of your country. Though not quite as polished technically, Terry is more resilient than Ferdinand. His courage and willingness to play through injuries mark him out as a special player, but Ferdinand, having gone a long way towards repairing his own image, now ticks most of the boxes off the field and few would question his credentials on it.

Once prone to lapses of concentration, he has largely eradicated that flaw from his game and is now regarded by Capello and his coaches as probably the world's most accomplished central defender but for now the captaincy remains a dream.

As an inspirational figure on the field of play, Liverpool's Steven Gerrard would probably have been my choice as captain though the burden of leading the team has weighed heavily on him in the past.

As a defensive combination, Ferdinand and Terry are among the best in the world and, as London boys from similar working class backgrounds, they have a natural affinity. Terry, of course, can trace his roots back to Moore's Barking suburbs while Ferdinand learned his trade on the same West Ham training ground at Chadwell Heath that produced England's World Cup winning captain.

Critics claimed that Moore couldn't run, couldn't tackle or head the ball but the truth is that the England and West Ham captain rarely had to resort to such desperate remedies.

His positioning and ability to read the game as it unfolded in front of him meant that he could usually snuff out danger before it happened.

And, like all good leaders, Moore responded to the big occasions - a quality that underpinned David Beckham's eight-year reign as captain.

Beckham was a fine leader whose iconic profile gave the England captaincy a new celebrity status. He recognised that with status came responsibility and media scrutiny.

During his time as skipper under McClaren, Terry sometimes failed to follow path of respectability mapped out by Beckham. Now that Fabio Capello has seen fit to retain him in the position, Terry must ensure he always shows the captaincy the respect it deserves.