I have only two players I could say I have ever been a fan of as much as I like football: Eric Cantona and Diego Forlan .

Cantona - not captain material in my view. As much as I loved the man for being a firebrand of the sport!

Forlan - the perfect captain, being a man who can uplift a team while being also sportsmanlike.

I thought it was very obnoxious when Suarez was handed the Captain's band during Austria-Uruguay friendly. This is a man who bites his opponents, insults them because they are black; and is quite unashamed to celebrate a defensive "hand of god" penalty fail that cheats the opponents out of WC. Doing it, yes, maybe, in the heat of the moment - celebrating... weak.

My personal view is that a Captain should have moral fortitude; not just be successful or be the biggest "star". And that this makes a difference.

For your national team, or club - do you think they got the captain right? And do you think the person should also have moral qualities?

Superbia in proelio. ;-)

This be the message in one of T-shirts I brought home from Manc - and don't tell me you Skyblue Fancier that you were spooled five songs before me thrice over in karaoke a week ago, and did not even go to Dame Edna???

I am actually a Finn and will support Belgium in the next WC (in want of our team qualifying) - and even have bet 50 Sterling for them to win: so I tentatively like your style.

Mind you: we saw a cute poster "City United against fracking" - in right colours btw - in a citizens' demonstration last weekend. I really like Manchester even better for its activism.

Cantona - liked him individually wherever he was, but otherwise I am almost a morbid underdog supporter. Should Wigan not provoke your divine cum profane litanies even more firmly than Cantona?

Pray, remember the T-shirt as you retaliate! :-D

But why Kompany? Just because he is proud in battle in a team you like, or does he also have moral / leadership/ sportsmanlike qualities than can lift a team? Might you give an example(s) where you think he did great?

I think he (Kompany) is a strong man, a proud and good man and a leader. However, it remains to be seen whether it will help City to the title this season. I have to say I don't think it will.

Being honest I suspect that United can pretty much hand the title to Chelsea by beating / drawing with both Liverpool and City in their next two home games. if United want to finish in the top four, however, they will need 4 points from those two games, minimum. City are terrible at the moment though and Aguero is injured AGAIN so my money would be on United in that game, much as it pains me to admit it.. David Moyes is utterly useless though, and I'm sure you know that. If United beat City and / or Liverpool it will not be down to him but to the players. Moyes is utterly useless and you need rid of him.

Back to the main question : I think Kompany is a warrior. Remember that goal which he scored in the 1-0 win v Manchester United at The Etihad in the season when City won the title ? He inspired the team that day and scored the winning goal - and what a celebration ! It's hard to say what makes someone a leader-type. It's about having belief in your own ability and being able to spread that belief to the other members of your team, even if you are not the best player. It's a kind of charisma which only a few people have and I don't think it can be taught or passed on : you've either got it or you haven't. That's not very enlightening, sorry ! I genuinely don't think that you can teach someone to be a leader-type : you either are one already or you are not.

Is there anyone more deserving of being having ultimate captain badge of honour than Steven Gerrard? Leads by example, Liverpool supporter and player throughout his life, a true role model for kids and, with Carragher, was the inspiration behind the Champions League triumph in 2005.

And for those who have heard Ferguson's comments about Gerrard, then it just proves what a pratt (albeit a successful one) that he is.

Forlan, captain? Uruguay's captain is Lugano.

Ironic that you go on a rant about Suarez while earlier mentioning you like Cantona.

Trying to stay above club affiliations, there were a lot of good captains in the fairly recent past. Roy Keane was a fantastic captain, as much as an arse he is. Vieira was excellent too.

These days I feel there are fewer captains of that kind of firebrand mould, who would not take a loss even if your team was 0-2 down in the 93rd minute. Gerrard is a decent shout I suppose. But he's of the old mould to an extent.

Footballers these days are mostly mercenaries and I think many couldn't give a toss whether they play for United or City, Barcelona or Real Madrid, or any other big derby you may want to mention. They're fellow professionals, but it just strikes me as wrong to see players in such big games shake hands, smile and hug after a tense game. A lot of the 'soul' has been lost between all the money and corporate interests these days, not least due to all the playboy clubs that are around now.

Bit of a funny old timing that our Vincent should have gotten his first red card of the season right during this thread!

But read it was his first this season, and in any case not for some nasty tackling but rather shirt pulling - so he would seem like quite a clean player, and got his just desserts for the pulling stunt. And being a game transformer when it's called for is a rare quality which he has.

So yeah, cannot disagree with Manc City choice.

My ideal (naïveté) is that a captain should also combine sportsmanlike qualities besides being a leadership type. Presumably a leader of a street-gang has it in him, but not in a nice way.

From your perspective, out of interest: do you think it was ok for him to show his frustration publicly - the wall kicking thing - or should he have saved that until the locker rooms?

Let's see how it goes in the afternoon games, but looking very interesting for the League title this season! Unless my eyes failed me, for the Austria-Uruguay friendly just recently Forlanhad the captain's band before handing it for Suarez upon substitution.

Well, I did state that in my eyes Cantona type would not have business in being captain - though his footballing qualities whenever he did not lose his wits was at best amazing.

I would even state that from my perspective Manc United made a poor choice in making him a captain during his final year. So he is in the same league with Suarez in my eyes in this regard.

Lugano came off injured early on against Austria, so he passed the armband on. The captain's band is very symbolic, as far as leadership or commanding presence within the squad goes, after Lugano, a bench player like Scotti, or Abreu that hasn't been called up in a while, have far more influence than Forlan.

Forlan reminds me a lot of Recoba, a talented player that has really very little lasting presence, impact or feeling beyond his footballing skills, noting obviously the difference between what Forlan has achieved and that he was never quite as resisted by teammates and fans as Recoba was.

Forlan a perfect captain? Nope. He was a good player (I know he is still active but his best years are behind him) but he's just too "quiet type" for a captain.

I'm a Chelsea fan since 1997. The first time I saw Gianfranco Zola, I've fallen in love with this game, and it will last until I die. Zola will always be my favorite player of all times but I would never say he's a captain material, because he's not.

From the players you peeps mentioned in the post above I agree about Roy Keane and Vincent Kompany, both excellent skippers.

But an ultimate captain for me is Steven Gerrard. He is on every part of the pitch, always leaving his heart on the field.
And the war cry he pulled against Milan in Champions League final in 2005 (I believe we will never see that awesome final match again) picking up every teammate and leading them to an almost unbelievable victory, that was pure football magic.

Well, cannot comment too strongly on Forlan's clubs' career as I am quite fond of Premier League and Bundesliga, but really enjoy the World Cup and Euro the best above all.

I actually like Forlan because of WC 2010 - to me he was the most gracious player of the tournament, not least for what he did to uplift his side overall.

Even symbols have real power, but a good captain I think is more than that.

If I would have to throw a name on the table, I would probably state Steven Gerrard of Liverpool (and England National team). Whether one likes Liverpool or not, Gerard's loyalty to the club of his origins is rather admirable on this day and age.

Well well, while I cannot agree with your choice of club, seems we are on the same page about a good kind of a captain I note!

I would not necessarily state that Forlan is the perfect captain, but seeing him with a captain's band did not bother me the least bit in the Austria friendly, whereas, Suarez having it did. Forlan's swansong will be the world cup this summer, for sure, but come what may, I will always rate him high indeed based on the 2010 WC.

Gerrard has indeed been a team player for Liverpool. He's put many years in and has performed at that level for a long time. I consider him the Shearer of Liverpool (obviously not quite as good).

EDIT: oh - but the ultimate captain badge goes to Shearer

I can't think of a better team captain for Bayern Munich than Philipp Lahm is. He's a rather calm character and may not be the aggressive leader Oliver Kahn and Mark van Bommel used to be, but he has other qualities you want your skipper to have.

- He's born and raised in Munich, and since youth he spent his entire career as a professional with Bayern (except for a two year loan to VfB Stuttgart at the beginning of his career when he was too good for Bayerns reserve team but not experienced enough for the Bundesliga team). That makes him a person of highest integrity and loyalty towards the club and the region.

- He's a real sportsman. A fair player, almost old-school. You will never see him diving, acting, or losing his temper, nor does he need a lot of fouls. His statistics are remarkable for a defender: Less than half a foul per match and until today he has never been disqualified!

- He's one of the best on his position and an extremely intelligent player, driven by his brain, not by his heart. His intuition and anticipation skills are outstanding. There's a thought behind every pass he plays, every tackle he makes, and every way he goes. Nothing happens by accident or out of boldness. He understands tactics and strategies better than the average impulsive offensive player. That's not just important for the game itself, but also makes him the perfect spokesman/middleman between the coach and the team. In other words: The perfect captain.

Back in 2011, when van Bommel left Bayern, there was a debate if either Lahm or Schweinsteiger should wear the captain's armband. I'm sure Schweinsteiger would have been a good choice too, but I prefered Lahm back then and I still think it was the right decision.

But of course, no one can ever replace the Titan. :D

To me, personally, Philipp Lahm lacks loyalty and broadness of view, in a moral sense. He is not meanwhile as such lacking playing abilities.

Lahm stated during aftermath of some player or other (I am assuming Hitzlsperger, feel free to correct me) "coming out " that a homosexual in the sport should not "do so" because it would be "disruptive" or "bad" something along these lines.

I do believe this was on his capacity of National team captain, which makes it worse.

In my view, if one of your co-players happens to be a gay, as a captain you should show loyalty, and support people on their merit on the field; and against unfair attacks on matters of no sporting consequence.

I am surprised that to this day and age such view is tolerated, and allowed with the prestige and honour of captaincy, to be honest.

Apologies for the late reply - been avoiding the internet for a few days (good for my mental health !). Not great timing by me to name Kompany just before he gets sent off !

Yes, it was rash and stupid of Kompany (not a stupid man) by any means) to kick the wall in frustration. I suppose that, as captain, he felt guilty for getting sent off and was crucifying himself in anticipation of a defeat which he'd have been responsible for. As it turned out it inspired the team to an unlikely (in the circumstances) win. I think he makes mistakes but is an inspirational character and every team needs one. I remember certain players I used to play on the same side as (at a much lower level of course) who just gave me that extra self-belief which I perhaps lacked in the absence of such a character. I suppose if you're not a leader-type yourself it will be hard to say what constitutes a leader-type. Roy Keane was another such character : he just had sheer self-belief and a stomach for the fight (a bit too literally sometimes !) which transmitted itself to the rest of his team. Kompany and Keane are totally different personality types though, although I DO think Kompany can be almost equally dirty ! As far as United are concerned I reckon Bryan Robson was their best captain - and he was just as good for England - albeit in a much less successful era for United.

I just think that some people are "born leaders". They are not necessarily the most naturally gifted individuals in their particular profession but they have vision, plenty of ability, courage, strength and are (perhaps most importantly) team players. It's an interesting question and I really don't know the answer to be honest !