Football news: 5 Top Footballers who were appointed club captain in 2023-24 season

In football, the captain of a team has a special role and responsibility to play on and off the pitch. Because of this, a player has to have certain qualities before he is made captain of a team, one of which is leadership.

Team captains also challenge opposition teammates, protest about an unfair decision by the referee, make key decisions during a game and so on.

Because of their importance and role they play in the overall performance of the team, the manager carefully selects who he thinks would be the best fit for his team.

Without much ado, let’s take a look at five top players who were appointed as club captains in the 2023-24 season:

5. Virgil Van Dijk - Liverpool

Since joining Liverpool in 2018 for £75 million, Virgil Van Dijk has been a key player for the team.

The Dutch centre-back who is regarded as one of the best defenders in the world, has won several trophies for the club, including the Premier League and Champions League titles.

With the departure of Liverpool’s former captain Jordan Henderson, who joined Saudi Arabian side Al Ettifaq, the team needed a new leader and surprisingly, Virgil Van Dijk was seen as the perfect choice.

Though Mohamed Salah was expected to wear the captain’s armband, maybe Jurgen Klopp had other ideas.

The Dutch centre-back has been appointed as the new captain of Liverpool, and is expected to lead the team this season and beyond.

4. Nacho - Real Madrid

The one-time Ballon D’or winner, Karim Benzema used to wear the captain’s armband for Real Madrid. But following his decision to join Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad, the club had to find a perfect his perfect replacement.

Nacho Fernandez, one of the most experienced players at Real Madrid presently, emerged as Carlo Ancelotti's preferred choice.

Having made his debut for Real Madrid’s senior team in 2011, Nacho has played over 300 games, scored 16 goals and also registered nine assists.

The defender, whose contract is due to expire next summer, is expected to lead the likes of Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and other young talented players in the Real Madrid team.

3. Heung-min Son - Tottenham Hotspur

Son is Spurs' captain after Kane left and Lloris tipped to leave

With the former captain, Hugo Lloris, set to leave the club, many expected that the club’s highest goalscorer, Harry Kane, would ideally become the new captain of Tottenham.

But, following the decision of Kane to complete a move to Bayern Munich, it created a void in the leadership aspect of the team that needed fixing.

Tottenham’s new manager Ange Postecoglou would be hoping to get things running smoothly as quickly as possible and hence has settled and appointed Heung-min Son as his preferred captain.

The South Korean forward, who has been at the club since 2015 is a popular figure among both the players and fans alike.

He formed a deadly duo with Kane and has scored 145 goals in 374 appearances. With the absence of England striker this season, Tottenham will be heavily dependent on Son.

They would expect him to bring in the goals that Kane usually did, and coupled with his new appointment as captain, it will be interesting to see how he performs.

2. Bruno Fernandes - Manchester United

Manchester United manager, Erik ten Hag, has appointed Bruno Fernandes as the new captain of the club.

The Portuguese midfielder takes over from the former captain Harry Maguire, whose seems to have fallen out of favor with the manager.

Maguire, who had joined Manchester United in 2019 for a record transfer fee was appointed as the captain of the team in 2020 and since then, he was considered untouchable.

But with the arrival of Erik ten Hag, everything changed. Maguire, who had been a regular starter, lost his place in the starting lineup and spent most of his time on the bench.

Most team captains are regular starters, so it was only a matter of time before the captain’s armband would be taken away from him.

The decision of the manager to appoint Fernandes as the new captain didn’t come as a surprise.

Since joining the club in 2020, the Portuguese midfielder has been one of the most consistent, if not the most consistent player for Manchester United.

He had an impressive debut season and because of his consistency, he is being regarded as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.

His performance last season is not an exception, he scored 14 goals and provided 15 assists in 59 games.

1. Reece James - Chelsea

Following the conclusion of what seemed to be a clear out and reshuffle of the team by its new owners, Chelsea were left without a captain.

The former captain of the team, Cesar Azpilicueta, who had worn the captain’s armband since 2019, was among those who left the club.

Having completed his move to Atletico Madrid, new Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino, had to make an appointment to fill the void left by Azpilicueta’s departure.

In a surprise decision, 23-year-old England right-back Reece James emerged as the perfect replacement and was appointed as captain of the team by Pochettino.

There is no questioning James' commitment to the club where he has been at since he was just six years old and has worked his way up from Chelsea's youth academy to where he is today.

Since making his official debut for the club in 2019, James has established himself as a regular starter and has won several trophies, including the Champions League.

After a rather poor outing last season, in which Chelsea finished 12th in the Premier League, fans would be hoping that James appointment as captain would propel the club to greater heights this season.