The former England Under-21 captain’s hand was examined by Chelsea medical officer Dr Neil Fraser the day after he allegedly attacked Mr Thirlwall, 28, at the exclusive Wellington nightclub in Knightsbridge, central London, on January 4.

Dr Fraser told a jury at Middlesex Guildhall Crown Court in London: “The injury suggested he had broken that bone having put some degree of force through it.

“He had an X-ray and saw a specialist and it was confirmed he had a fracture - in the medical textbooks it’s referred to as a boxer’s fracture.”

Terry, who was wearing a ring on that hand, has admitted punching Mr Thirlwall once but claims it was self-defence.

Mr Thirlwall claims the player attacked him with a bottle and has told how he felt his eye “explode in blood”.

Terry was on a night out with Chelsea team-mate Jody Morris, 23, and Wimbledon’s Des Byrne, 21, when the fighting broke out.

On the 11th day of the trial today Morris became the third of the players to give evidence.

He denied attacking anyone, claiming he was too small to have done so.

The 5ft 5in star had been accused of swearing at club manageress Sasha Keegan and had been asked to leave, the court heard.

Morris denied swearing at the manageress and claimed he was talking reasonably with Mr Thirlwall and another bouncer, Shaun Brice, in reception when the violence started.

The player said: “Even before anything spilled out onto the pavement I wasn’t about to do anything – the size of me compared to them I wouldn’t be able to do anything.”

He told the jury the fighting started with Mr Thirlwall throwing a punch at Dublin-born Byrne and saying to him “F--- off you Irish prick”.

Byrne became “really angry” and went back through the door where he got “battered”, Morris said.

Morris denied “piling in” himself as the fight spilled outside and said he had never touched Mr Thirlwall.

He denied being drunk in the club, saying he had one or two pints of lager, one vodka, lime and lemonade and one B52 cocktail all evening.

The player also denied telling police “I don’t know what you’re on about” when officers turned up at the club and asked him if there had been a fight.

Morris also denied telling Mr Thirlwall: “I can get you the sack, I earn more in a week than you earn in a year.”

He told the jury: “I never said that.”

The court was read a statement from Terry’s club captain Graeme Le Saux, capped 36 times for England, who said the central defender would probably have been picked for England’s World Cup squad if he had not been facing a criminal trial.

Mr Le Saux added: “He behaves politely and I consider him to be of a gentle disposition.

“I was shocked at the allegations against John and if true they would be genuinely out of character – I have never seen him behave aggressively or violently to anyone.”

Former Wimbledon star, Jamaican World Cup goal scorer and now television pundit Robbie Earle, appeared as a character witness for Byrne.

Mr Earle, who has been helping pre-season training at Wimbledon, described Byrne as a “thoughtful young lad”.

But in his closing remarks to the jury, prosecutor Jeremy Donne claimed the three footballers had been “behaving badly” that night and then Byrne “completely lost it”.

Mr Donne said: “A very clear thread runs through this case, the thread of the aggression of these three men from first to last.

“It was aggression that ended in an ugly incident with serious injuries to Mr Thirlwall.”

Terry denies wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and possessing a bottle as an offensive weapon.

Byrne denies possessing a bottle as an offensive weapon and all three players deny affray.

The trial was adjourned until tomorrow.