What kinds of players can become a great captain? In football history, there are many great players who have led their team to succeed with his unique quality.
Today, Let’s pick your top 5 Greatest Captains in football history!
1. Didier Deschamps
Didier Claude Deschamps is a 53-year-old French football coach and retired professional player who played as a defensive midfielder for Chelsea and the national team of France.
Regarded as one of the best football captains of all time, Deschamps, during his professional football career, captained his nation to victories in the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.
In addition to winning two Ligue 1 titles in 1990 and 1992, he was member of the France squad that became the first, and so far only, French club to win the UEFA Champions League, a feat which the team achieved in 1993.
With the Champions League victory, Deschamps became the youngest captain ever to lead his team to win the title.
After Franz Beckenbauer and followed by Iker Casillas, he was only the second captain in the history of football to have lifted the Champions League trophy, the World Cup trophy, and the European Championship trophy.
2. Roy Keane
Roy Maurice Keane is an Irish football coach and retired professional player who played a midfielder for the Premier League club, Manchester United, and the national team of Ireland.
He is the joint most successful Irish player of all time, having won nineteen major trophies in his club career, seventeen of which came during his time at English club Manchester United.
Regarded as one of the best football captains of all time, Roy was a dominating box-to-box midfielder, noted for his aggressive and highly competitive style of play, an attitude that helped him excel as captain of Manchester United from 1997 until his departure seventeen years ago.
He helped Manchester United achieve a sustained period of success during his twelve years at the club.
3. Steven Gerrard
Steven George Gerrard is an English professional football manager and retired footballer who played as a midfielder for Liverpool and the national team of England.
Considered as one of the best football captains of all time, Gerrard was highly regarded for his leadership, determination, and influence on the pitch.
He captained the England national team thirty eight times and scoring twenty one goals.
He played at 3 UEFA European Championships, in 2000, 2004 and 2012 and three FIFA World Cups, in 2006, 2010 and 2014.
4. Franz Beckenbauer
Franz Anton Beckenbauer is a German coach and retired professional player who played as a defender for Bayern Munich and the national team of Germany.
Twice awarded the European Footballer of the Year, Beckenbauer was capped one hundred and three times for West Germany and played in three FIFA World Cups and two European Championships.
Regarded as one of the best captains of all time time, he was the first captain to lift the World Cup and European Championship at international level and the European Cup at club level.
He was named in the World Team of the 20th Century in 1998, the FIFA World Cup Dream Team in 2002, the Ballon d’Or Dream Team in 2020, and in 2004 was listed in the FIFA 100 of the world’s greatest living players.
5. Francesco Totti
Francesco Totti Ufficiale is an Italian retired professional football player who played solely for Roma and the national team of Italy as an attacking midfielder.
Regarded as one of the best football captains of all time, Totti captained Roma to a Serie A title, two Coppa Italia titles, and two Supercoppa Italiana titles victories.
He holds the record for the youngest club captain in the history of Serie A.
