Aside from the manager, a team’s captain is the main man tasked to lead his side into a war named football. To maintain the on-field discipline and boost his team’s morale during tough times are some of the few unspoken responsibilities assigned to the captain. While players like Carles Puyol, Roy Keane, Steven Gerrard and more have redefined the role of a captain through their brilliant careers as leaders, some footballers have faltered massively when asked to take the step up. On that note, let’s take a look at 5 captains who were stripped off their captaincy.
5. Joey Barton (Queens Park Rangers)
One of the nastiest footballers of all time, Joey Barton was always surrounded by one controversy or the other throughout his professional career. Despite having played for Manchester City for five years, he showed no sense of civility when the Sky Blues hosted Queens Park Rangers in the ultimate match of the 2011-12 season. While it was Sergio Aguero’s injury-time winner that hogged all the limelight, Barton’s antics in the game were far more dramatic. He blatantly elbowed Carlos Tevez and tried to initiate a brawl with Mario Balotelli, Vincent Kompany, and Aguero. Sure enough, the midfielder was stripped off his captaincy and loaned out to Marseille after a short while.
4. Granit Xhaka (Arsenal)
Arsenal have had a history of chaotic captains, as we will get to know further down the list. Granit Xhaka had all the makings of an adept leader, and he was granted the captain’s armband ahead of the 2019-20 season. However, as his performances plummeted, fans grew weary of their leader and began booing him. His response was to snap at them and jeer the crowd even more. Understandably, the behaviour was not tolerated by Unai Emery, and Xhaka was asked to step down from the captain’s position after just two months into his tenure.
3. Mauro Icardi (Inter Milan)
Mauro Icardi was considered to be Inter‘s golden boy when he first broke into the senior squad following a switch from Sampdoria. His growth at the San Siro was rapid, to say the least, as Icardi became one of the youngest captains in the club’s history. However, the fiery youngster was constantly at odds with the club’s fans, even dragging their reputation through the mud in a book. His wife, Wanda Nara, also called out the Nerazzurri players and the management in a show. The duo’s unprofessional behaviour was justifiably punished as Inter quickly gave the captain’s to Samir Handanovic. He was shipped off to PSG later that year.
2. William Gallas (Arsenal)
The second Arsenal captain to suffer through a similar fate as Xhaka’s, William Gallas was a true character, indulging in the most erratic activities from time to time. According to reports, having forced a move through to the Gunners by threatening to score their own goals against former club Chelsea, the defender was named Arsenal captain following Thierry Henry’s departure. Nevertheless, Gallas blatantly lacked the class of a leader. This fact became evident when he chose to protest on the center of the field after Arsenal conceded a late equaliser to Birmingham City. He even criticised the club’s youth players whilst commenting on Arsenal’s locker room infighting. Understandably, the centre-back had to pay for his actions by evicting the captain’s spot.
1. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal)
The inclusion of a third Arsenal player on such a list shows the lack of quality the Gunners have had to suffer in the captain’s department, following the departures of Patrick Viera and Thierry Henry. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was recently relieved of his leadership duties by Mikel Arteta, following a series of disciplinary issues on his part. From showing up late to a North London derby in March 2021 to consistently underperforming as a striker, there are many reasons behind Aubameyang’s omission as Arsenal captain. Once the best player at the Emirates, the Gabonese international is now a shadow of his former self, with many considering his days with the club to be numbered.
