Paulo Fonseca has given the captain’s armband to five different players this season, certainly adopting a different approach than most managers. While some absences have been at play, they are not the only reasons.
Ahead of the game between Milan and Leverkusen in the Champions League, during his press conference, Fonseca made his stance on the captaincy clear: “When I arrived here I saw that the captains are the players with the most games. I want to respect this, but I also want a shared leadership, more extended”.
Sure enough, as highlighted by Gazzetta dello Sport, Milan have had five different captains in the first ten games this season. Mike Maignan was the latest addition to the list yesterday, wearing the armband amid several absences. Below are the captains listed, as well as the games.
Mike Maignan: The Frenchman got to wear the armband amid the absences of Calabria and Hernandez, while Leao was on the bench. He has always been a leader for the team but seeing as the captain must speak to the referee often, this is more difficult for a goalkeeper.
Davide Calabria: Due to dropping down the pecking order, as well as injuries, the OG captain has only worn it three times this season (Torino, Parma and Liverpool).
Fikayo Tomori: He was the captain for 90 minutes against Lazio at the Olimpico, though it could have gone better as Milan conceded twice in the game.
Hernandez: Aside from Calabria, the left-back is the player that has worn the armband the most with a total of four times. Currently, he’s suspended in the league and it remains to be seen if he will wear it against Club Brugge on Tuesday.
Leao: Like Maignan and Tomori, he has only worn it for 90 minutes and that was against Lecce. The game ended 3-0 and he got a great assist for Hernandez.