The Role of a Captain on a Football Team: How to Lead Your Team to Victory

The captain of a football team has many more functions than just leading the team onto the pitch before a match or communicating with the referee. He is the leader of the entire team, inspiring and motivating others, so he should set an example and be one of the best and most senior players. In addition to physical fitness, psychological balance or popularity in the team is also important when choosing him. What else should he not be missing to lead the team to victory in the match and in the entire competition?

The coach is the manager, the captain is the leader

While the team coach is mainly responsible for management and strategic decisions, the captain is responsible for leading the football team , which he should take on both in the cabin and on the field. First and foremost, it is necessary for him to be a good leader who motivates his players to win, but can also accept defeat. If he also learns from it and leads the other team members to the same approach, it is certain that he does not wear the captain's armband by chance.

Basic qualities of a captain

It is not only true in football that a captain must have a passion for the game and teamwork, enough courage and a consistent approach . Only then will he be granted the privileged right to lead the entire team, become an authority, and gain the trust and recognition of the team. What does this look like in practice?

Passion

Every captain should be competitive , but that is of course not enough. What is important is enthusiasm for the game and team spirit , when they prioritize the well-being of others over their own needs. They are always interested in the opinions and feelings of others, try to have a positive attitude and respect the privacy of the players. This makes it easy to find solutions to individual disputes and issues that concern the entire team.

Courage

Good captains also have courage . They must be able to step up when the going gets tough, not shy away from challenges, and can handle the ball even when they lose. They embody the core values ​​of the team , and their courage often motivates others. They also support and motivate their players to achieve high goals, which they often set for themselves.

Consistency and consistency

In professional sports, you have to give everything 100%, and that also applies to leadership in football. A good captain knows this and follows it during matches and training. He has his own style of communication, which does not necessarily have to be verbal. Sometimes it is expressed more through actions, other times he is an extrovert who draws everyone's attention to himself. The main thing in this case is the aforementioned consistent approach, authenticity and keeping promises . But of course he demands the same from his team.

Other important features

In addition to the three attributes mentioned above, most football coaches and managers agree on five qualities that a good captain should have. So, leaving aside technical prowess, it is necessary that he is mentally strong, communicative, emotionally balanced and confident, and also that he knows each player well . This will make the path to victory and recovery from defeat much easier for everyone.

How to choose the ideal candidate?

In professional football, the captain is usually chosen by the coach and the management team . However, he is often chosen by the players themselves and the coach respects their wishes. And as has been shown in many prestigious world competitions, he does not necessarily have to be the best player . On the other hand, he must unite the team, have authority, understand the coach and find common ground with each member of the team.

In the top competitions, the captain is also often in the media's sights , so he must be able to communicate with them. This is also taken into account when choosing him and the decision should not be based solely on the player's experience or his goal statistics . "Technical skills do not always coincide with interpersonal skills, the most outstanding player in the team may not be the one who best handles the responsibilities that the role of captain entails," said Nicolò Cavalieri. He added. that for this reason many Argentines did not agree with the decision of the Albiceleste (Argentine national team) management to award the captaincy to Lionel Messi and that Javier Mascherano was a better fit as a leader.