“Can you believe it?” – Enzo Maresca shares the strange rule that means Erling Haaland can never be Man City captain.
Enzo Maresca has shared a funny reason why Erling Haaland can’t be Manchester City’s new captain. Since taking over from Pep Guardiola, Maresca is already making changes and getting ready for the new season. One big job for him is picking a new team captain, now that Bernardo Silva has left for Real Madrid.
Under Guardiola, the players usually chose the captain together, but for his last season, Guardiola picked Silva himself after trying Kyle Walker didn’t go as planned. Right now, Ruben Dias, Haaland, and Rodri (who might move to Barcelona) are the main leaders.
In a chat with City reporters in Seoul, Maresca explained a rule he had at his previous clubs Leicester and Chelsea: when the team scores, the captain has to quickly come to the bench for instructions. But if the captain scores, he gets to celebrate! He joked, “If Erling is captain, then oh no, we have a problem! Imagine that celebration!”
Maresca also said Haaland, who’s worn the captain’s armband before, was the first to congratulate him when he got the City job. They worked together during the amazing 2022/23 season when Haaland scored 52 goals in 53 games.
With Rodri possibly leaving, Maresca may need to add two new leaders. He will decide the captain himself, and Dias is the favorite since he’s been setting a great example for the team since 2020. Maresca also wants an English player in the leadership group, with Marc Guehi and Phil Foden likely choices. Guehi has captain experience at Crystal Palace, and Foden has been with City the longest.
After finishing their pre-season tour, City will face Arsenal in the Community Shield on August 16, then start the new Premier League season at home against Bournemouth on August 23.