Revealing The Election of Bundesliga Team Captain

When Philipp Lahm retired, Bayern München not only lost a player. They were left captain who was very influential in bringing the team to various peak achievements. The public then speculated on who the replacement of the captain is. Substitutes are worth or at least close to a Lahm charisma.

A number of names sticking out but the choice of conical on two players, Thomas Müller and Manuel Neuer. The first, a regional son who became a representation of Bavarian pride.

While the second, a player who has a natural talent as a leader. His calm under the crossbar (and outside the penalty box) is one indication that leadership talent flows in his blood.

Carlo Ancelotti ultimately prefers leaders based on his leadership qualities rather than simply using regional reasons.

Nonetheless, Ancelotti is not completely separated from the bias of nationalism in the election of the captain. He still chose the Germans to lead Bayern Munich although on his team there are two people who have been captains in their respective national teams, Robert Lewandowski and Arturo Vidal.

But Ancelotti is not alone. In total, there are 14 Bundesliga clubs that make the Germans as captain.

Actually, this makes sense. However, the original players of Germany certainly have advantages, at least in language mastery that is important to communicate with various parties.

In addition, they also have a better understanding of local football culture. These things will certainly affect the effectiveness of the leadership of the captains.

However, a small number of clubs take another approach. They choose foreign players to become leaders.

Werder Bremen handed over armband to Zlatko Junuzovic (Austria), Hoffenheim appointed Eugen Polanski (Polish), Hertha Berlin's capital team chose Vedad Ibisevic (Bosnia Herzegovina) and the most "brave" was Hamburg with non-European player Gotoku Sakai ( Japan) as der Kapitan. Sakai has been captain since November 2016 and this season the trust is still given to him.

Another interesting thing in captaining is who picks them. Generally, the decision comes from a coach or club management.

But in the Bundesliga, there are two clubs that use deliberations to reach consensus. Young coach Hoffenheim, Julian Nagelsmann entrusts the players to choose their own captain. Elected an incumbent captain, Eugen Polanski with new vice captain Kevin Vogt.

A similar pattern occurred in Freiburg. The majority of players agreed to appoint Julian Schuster as their leader. For Schuster, this became the sixth year in a row he became the team captain.

Now we turn to the position of the captains in the field. The majority are midfielders such as Edgar Prib (Hannover), Christian Gentner (Stuttgart), Daniel Beier (Augsburg), Lars Bender (Bayer Leverkusen), Matthias Lehmann (Cologne) until the 2017 Confederations Cup winner Lars Stindl (Borussia Mönchengladbach).

In addition to Neuer, Ralf Fährmann is the captain with a position as a goalkeeper. He replaced Benedikt Höwedes who had been captain of Schalke for six seasons.

Royal Blues seems to want to regenerate leadership at the club. Luckily, Höwedes responded to this with a big heart.

Through his Facebook page, Höwedes congratulates Ralf and says he remains committed to providing the best for the club. He also gives an indication that the interests of the club are higher than personal interest. Salut!

Meanwhile, names like Willi Orban (RB Leipzig), Marcel Schmelzer (Borussia Dortmund), Niko Bungert (Mainz) represent leaders from the back line.

Perhaps these clubs are inspired by the concept of 'push from behind'. They want the captains to give moral encouragement and spirit from behind. Orban himself is the youngest captain for this season. According to Hasenhüttl, Orban is an example and is respected by other players.

While the position of the striker represented only three people, Vedad Ibisevic, Alexander Meier (Eintracht Frankfurt), and German national team player, Mario Gomez (Wolfsburg). Gomez replaces Diego Benaglio who captained Wolfsburg for five years. The Swiss goalkeeper leaves for Monaco this summer.

Undeniably, the captains will play a crucial role for the club throughout the season. If they can show good leadership, surely other players will listen to them saying, "Aye, aye, captain!"