John Terry has admitted his bravery in the face of adversity was probably a major factor in keeping the England captaincy.

Coach Fabio Capello sprung a surprise this lunchtime by choosing Terry as his permanent skipper ahead of Rio Ferdinand.

Most pundits - and the bookmakers - expected Ferdinand to get the job ahead of tomorrow night's Wembley clash with the Czech Republic.

Instead, Terry will keep the armband he cherishes so much, having originally been appointed by Steve McClaren.

And there is little doubt his whole-hearted, goal-scoring captain's performance against the USA, just seven days after suffering the abject misery of missing the decisive penalty in the Champions League final, had a major influence on Capello.

"It showed my character to the manager," said Terry.

"To bounce back the way I did after that huge disappointment showed what kind of person I am. Maybe that persuaded him.

"I don't know if it did but it was a big boost to get the captain's armband against the United States.

"I went on the pitch, played well and scored the goal. It helped to relieve the pressure a small amount for me and now I just want to get on with the job."

In keeping with his secretive methods, Capello kept his counsel until after training ahead of tomorrow's friendly, before pulling his squad to one side as a group and informing them of his choice.

While Ferdinand was presumably devastated at missing out, he has been awarded the vice-captaincy, with Terry confirming the pride he feels at keeping the job.

"Everybody realises the armband means the world to me," he said.

"For me to get it above the likes of him (Ferdinand) and the other players in the squad is a great honour and a fabulous achievement."

Such had been the certainty that Ferdinand would named skipper, even Terry expected to miss out.

In fact, the defender was probably more shocked than any of his team-mates when Capello, who had not even told his coaching team, revealed his choice.

"I'd never given up on the armband and never will do," he said.

"I had heard whispers that Rio had got it so I was a little bit shocked but I've got to make the most of it."

Capello gave both Ferdinand and Terry a game as skipper, with Steven Gerrard and David Beckham also being handed the job on a one-off basis as the Italian made up his mind.

While he accepted Ferdinand did well in France and had impressed all season with Manchester United, he felt Terry's sheer force of character was the major factor in his favour.

"It was not easy for me to choose because they are very good players," said Capello.

"But the captain is very important because he is the driver of the team. Rio is very important but I chose John because of his big personality."

For Terry it is an opportunity to remove the stigma of being an England captain that failed.

While he can never erase the fact he was leader of a side that so shambolically failed to reach Euro 2008, the 27-year-old can make amends.

Having learned some valuable lessons during his 14 matches in charge, Terry is not about to start proclaiming England as potential World Cup winners.

For now, qualification will do and, for him, the opportunity to be a winner for the Three Lions.

"This is another chance for me," he said.

"It is an opportunity to captain a winning team.

"Let's not talk about winning the World Cup. We just want to qualify.

"It is in our hands to do it. We have certainly got the players to."