The Captain's Armband

Despite the insignificance of the captain's armband in the rules of football, it only gives the player the responsibility of participating in the coin toss at the start of the match. However, when the referee decides to communicate with the team captain regarding team instructions or decision-making, it has become a common practice among referees and is not part of the football rules. But the captain's armband has become an integral part of modern football. Each team has a captain - a player who leads the team on the field, representing the team's manager on the pitch.

This player is very important to the club in many aspects, and despite this title, it does not give him any actual benefits on the football field. The captain's armband is the symbol that distinguishes the main player in the team from everyone else.

The importance of his role lies in imposing his personality on the players. From the coach's point of view, he must see in him a person capable of giving orders to the team on the field without being objected by any of the players.

To indicate the importance of the captain's role and to honor him, he is the first player to receive trophies during competitions and tournaments, which gives him a special aura that reflects on his personality and makes him a responsible player.

Historically, there was fear of taking on the captain's armband. When Franz Beckenbauer, the German coach, wanted to pass on the captain's armband to Lothar Matthäus in the 1990 World Cup, Matthäus initially strongly refused, but later accepted the offer, and he said his famous quote, "I do not agree to be the captain of the team because it is a big responsibility and I do not want it."

When the late legend Diego Maradona coached the Argentine national team, he appointed Javier Mascherano as the captain of the Argentine national team after lengthy negotiations with him. Mascherano was described by Maradona as follows: "He is closest to the idea I have about the Argentine national team. He sacrifices for it, is professional in his mindset, and I believe he can convey my directions to his teammates on the field."

According to popular belief, the captain is usually the oldest or most experienced and iconic player in the team, but that is not true because the captain can be younger or a new player in the club. The most important characteristics that a captain must possess include his distinction as a player, as he stands out as a leader whose presence commands respect from his teammates. His words are always heard and respected by them.

The captain must also be calm, have high concentration in identifying mistakes, have a deep understanding and awareness of his duties, and have high moral values and good social relationships with the players and the coach. It is a great responsibility and an important task that not every player can undertake.

The legendary Scottish coach Alex Ferguson summed up the qualities of a captain and his method of selection when he said: "The selection is determined by a combination of personal and objective factors, and it is not subject to age or technical level and seniority in the game. The most important thing is the charismatic personality, which is usually not available in all players of the team, and the respect of his teammates for him, and his vision of what is happening on the field and his leadership of his teammates during the match."

Ferguson specified the captain's choices when he revealed that the former player Bryan Robson, who was the captain of Manchester United when Ferguson took over as their coach in 1986, was the best captain he had seen in his life because of his ability to change the course of the game in seconds, especially in difficult moments.

As for the former Ghanaian player Alex Nyarko, who previously played for Everton in England, he had his own definition of the captain's role when he justified his refusal to carry the captain's armband for his national team, saying:

"I refused the captaincy out of respect for myself because the team captain should be a player based in Ghana, as he has significant responsibilities, including resolving his teammates' issues, approving the locations of training camps, dealing with the press and media, executing tactics on the field, and conveying the coach's ideas to the rest of the players. All of these things I wouldn't be able to handle."

This confirms that the selection of a deserving captain should be based on the player's personality rather than seniority, which is a decision we have recently seen in English clubs. We witnessed how Arteta decided to give the captain's armband for Arsenal to the new signing, Martin Odegaard. When asked about it, he replied:

"I'm very clear about it. The former manager, Emery, had his own way, and I've seen successful clubs rely on voting, while others suffer from choosing leaders who aren't up to the required level."

"I believe it depends much more on the personalities and human qualities that the players possess."

"For me, the most important thing is that others - whether they are coaches, staff, or players - listen to you when you speak. You don't have to speak all the time, but you need to be able to convey your ideas in a strong way to inspire people and make everyone rally behind you."

"Martin has many qualities that we want in a captain, one of which is that he thinks about the team before himself."

This is what made him prefer Odegaard over older players like Holding, White, and Xhaka.

On the other hand, many Manchester United managers insisted on giving the captain's armband at Manchester to Maguire instead of David De Gea, despite De Gea's seniority, due to Maguire's composure and personality.

Just a few days ago, we witnessed the controversy surrounding Benzema, which may have shown him as a poor example of a captain. Here lies the problem of Benzema's negative and problematic role, as what he does has been done before by Casillas. The main issue at Real Madrid currently is that the fans see the team in such a state after the departure of a player who perhaps represents the ideal qualities of a captain. Even when Ramos was a young player without the armband, he often acted as a captain.

Although he received the armband after the departure of several players, his character stood out as a leader despite the presence of another captain on the field.

That's why coaches should view the team captain with the same perspective as Arteta did in choosing Odegaard. The idea that the captaincy should be given to the oldest player greatly diminishes the significance of the captain's role.

In your opinion, do you support giving the captain's armband to the oldest player in the club or to the one with the best personality?