John Terry? Privacy?

When the John Terry story broke, one of our juniors insisted the coverage was OTT and complained that even footballers deserve a private life.

Bit of a red rag to a bull, to be honest. Footballers? Private lives?

Listen, I said. Anyone who earns in a week four times what the average fan who follows them all over the country pockets in a year, who creams off as much again in marketing and sponsorship deals and reaps every reward imaginable just for (clichéd, but true) turning out for 90 minutes on a Saturday afternoon, doesn’t deserve so much as an ex-directory listing.

Footballers are millionaires for one reason: media money. They are media property for the use and abuse of the aforesaid. His role is twofold: to win the World Cup and to keep us entertained.

Helping us sell papers is their way of giving something back.

One PS though: What were the Mirror and Sun doing on Saturday, with the Terry and wife Dubai snog? Page One headlines: Healed with a kiss? and JT’s got wahey with it?

It took the Mail to get it right: Terry and his wife kiss for the cameras. Back of the net.