Reuters Soccer Blog
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Does the captaincy really matter in football?
Here’s a question for you: Who is Manchester United’s official club captain?
The hullabaloo surrounding the England cricket skipper has shown how different the role is in the two sports.
I think Gary Neville is actually the club captain at United, but to be honest I’m not sure. He has been injured for most of the last two years so Ryan Giggs took over.
The Welshman is in and out of the team, though, so Rio Ferdinand has donned the armband the most recently. (The pair lifted the Champions League trophy in May, see right, with poor Gary left on the sidelines).
Let’s face it, it doesn’t really matter who the captain is on the football field. Technical areas are so large now that coaches can bark the orders and leave centre backs, traditionally the obvious skippers, to the defending.
In Spain, clubs often have several club captains and in Italy it generally goes to the most-experienced player.
Paolo Maldini, 40, is club captain at AC Milan but plays once every three games. If the captain was that important, wouldn’t they appoint one who played every game?
Leadership ability is the key attribute for a successful team captain whether it be soccer, rugby or ice hockey, or cricket for that matter. The captain must be an inspiration to team mates. They must be highly respected for their maturity, character and knowledge of the game. While it is sometimes the best player on the team, superstars with hugh ego’s and individuals who are “not team payers” are rarely a successful captain. The best choice is usually the most obvious to team mates and fans alike.