Who should Jose Mourinho chose as Real Madrid captain this season?
Throughout his career we've seen that Jose Mourinho isn't afraid to make some big decision with his team and that is no different with his return to Real Madrid. The manager has already made some big calls with transfers, who makes his squad, who doesn't, and who will play and who won't. However Mourinho still has one major decision to make, one that could determine how the team performs this season, his captain.
The captain is one of the most important roles on the pitch as it is their job to motivate and will on the players on the pitch, leading by example like we've seen in the past with players like Sergio Ramos, Raul and Iker Casillas. There are a number of options for the manager to chose from, and if Real hope to bring silverware back to the Bernabeu this season, they better hope Mourinho makes the right call.
This could be one of the biggest decisions Jose Mourinho makes this season
Mourinho has a number of players he can chose from to be his captain, each of which bring different attributes to the table that makes them either strong or weak candidates. At the moment the captain heading into the new season is Fede Valverde. Los Blancos tends to use a seniority system and given Valverde has been at the club since 2016, he is the most senior player in the team although not by age.
The Uruguayan served as the vice captain last season behind Dani Carvajal but with injuries plaguing Carvajal, Valverde wore the armband a decent number of times last season to somewhat mixed results. He refused to warm up as a substitute and play as a right-back under Xabi Alonso and didn't always show those key leadership characteristics we saw from players like Sergio Ramos in the past. Valverde surely does have those characteristics in him, he just needs some coaching to bring them out and lead by example on the pitch and step up and take the responsibility of the captaincy.
Another strong candidate would be Thibaut Courtois. The Belgian is the most senior player by age in the squad and is the last real veteran left in this newer generation of Real Madrid. Courtois has those strong leadership attributes that we've seen from great captains in the past and will not only take responsibility for his own faults, but also holds his teammates accountable and knows how to will on the players and get the best out of his teammates. The only fault is that many don't like the idea of a goalkeeper being captain given how far away they are from the action and referee should a wrong decision be made at the opposite end of the pitch.
Finally we have Jude Bellingham. While this is only his fourth season at the Bernabeu and he is still only 23-years-old, the Englishman has all the makings of a great captain. Bellingham has a very old school mindset in a generation where we see younger players lacking in intensity and passion, the Englishman bleeds passion and fight and has the strong ability to motivate his teammates like we saw in the 23/24 season. While giving Bellingham the armband could ruffle some feathers, it's not like he doesn't deserve it. A club like Real Madrid needs a player that can lead by example and Bellingham may be the person in the squad that does that best.
Today's best reads
Ranking the 3 most important leaders in Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid squad
3 key midfield questions that Jose Mourinho will answer in Real Madrid's first match vs. Espanyol
The best possible Real Madrid starting XI with Jose Mourinho using Bernardo Silva as a DM
Jose Mourinho's biggest dilemma could give him a bigger headache than expected
The best Real Madrid starting XI in a 4-2-3-1 formation under Jose Mourinho
