John Terry's headed winner against Burnley on Saturday evening did nothing to ease his visible distress after the decision to overturn a superinjunction allowed allegations about his private life to leak into the public consciousness.

Terry reportedly had an affair with the ex-girlfriend of former Chelsea colleague Wayne Bridge, an affair which may or may not have resulted in an abortion and Bridge making himself unavailable for England duty. It will almost certainly end up in divorce, if Monday's newspapers are anything to go by.

What does this have to do with football? Firstly, Terry and Bridge are former team-mates for Chelsea and potential team-mates in World Cup 2010. Bridge's apparent refusal to play under Terry is - on the face of it - unproblematic. Ashley Cole dwarfs him in terms of quality and Stephen Warnock would be more than adequate as backup. But the betrayal of a colleague is not easily forgotten and the dressing room may well reflect that regardless of Bridge's absence.

Secondly, Terry is the captain of England. His position is about more than football. He's a talisman off the field, an ambassador for the Football Association. In essence, he is the global face of English football, notwithstanding the ubiquitous David Beckham. This is the latest in a string of allegations against Terry and its serious nature renders it a transgression too far.

England are bidding to win the right to host the World Cup in 2018 or 2022, and he's not the kind of character we should be putting forward as a representative for that bid. And if we want the England captaincy to retain any of its prestige and mystique, John Terry has to go.

But it's not only the FA who would benefit from Terry's resignation, it's the Chelsea man himself. Deep down, he knows he should go. If he does, it will take the sting out of the press coverage which he will, like it or not, be suffering indefinitely. It would take off the pressure and attention (up to a point) in one swift thrust. It's his one last silver bullet.

Furthermore, acting early would guarantee his place in the England team and ease any potential dressing room unrest. That can only be good got Terry and for England, whose weakness at centre half means Terry is utterly indispensable.

But who should replace Terry should he resign as England skipper? Although I don't think Terry should take this into account when making his decision, Fabio Capello is sadly not spoiled for choice. That's particularly true if Terry goes on moral grounds. Can we then appoint Steven Gerrard or Rio Ferdinand in good conscience? I think not.

To my mind, that leaves Capello with two options. Both have had their problems off the field, but they seem to be firmly in the past. They're both solid, excellent quality players capable of leading by example and being professional and mature in the ambassadorial role of England captain.

Wayne Rooney might sound like a strange choice but he's now in his mid-20s and is the undisputed kingpin at Manchester United. In fact, he's almost doing it all by himself. But my choice would be Frank Lampard, a natural, hard-working leader whose energy and desire to win would grace any team. More importantly, giving him the captaincy might just tease him into becoming England's most prominent player, to make him to England what Gerrard used to be for Liverpool.

On Soccer Saturday the panel noted that Lampard is now more than just the man who arrives late into the box. He gets involved in every move, linking the play with quick passes from the edge of his own box forwards. For me, that puts him in a natural captain's position and helps make him the best option.

So, should Terry resign? And if he does, who should replace him? Over to you.