He’s a sly one… that Oliver Kahn.

By: Angela | May 8th, 2008

First he hates him. Criticizes him publicly and gets a suspension for it. Then he’s singing his praises. Now he’s calling for him to replace himself as Captain once he retires. Who in the world is Oliver Kahn talking about? You may have guessed it – Luca Toni. Evidently Kahn now thinks that Toni sets a good example, has a winning mentality and has earned the respect of the team. He believes that Toni should replace him as Bayern’s skipper. Now, I quite like Luca Toni. I think he’s worth every penny Bayern have paid for him. I do not, however, think he should be named as Bayern’s captain. I believe, traditionally, the Captaincy has gone to a veteran player and Toni has only been there a year. I also feel that the Captain should be able to communicate well with the team and Toni is still learning German. Obviously, everyone knows I think van Bommel should be named Captain next year, but there are several other candidates far more plausible than Toni.

I imagine that it will be Jurgen Klinsmann who names the next Captain, but it will be interesting to see where it shakes out. The obvious choice, if he doesn’t leave, is probably Lucio. A lot of people are commenting that the next Captain should be German and I just don’t see it that way. The next captain should be someone who carries the team and guides them and encourages them to be a better team. The next captain should be someone who is not afraid to tell them when they’ve screwed up, but can also find the ability to show some compasion when they’re hurt so they’re not being kicked when they’re down. He will be able to help the team grow and guide the younger players to being better players.

Of course, for me, that person is van Bommel, but I also know that whether he’s wearing the ‘C’ on his arm or not, he leads the team like a Captain should. I think Toni is fabulous. He brings a lot of skill to the game and he clearly helps motivate the striker’s that are paired with him to play better football, but I don’t think he’s earned any right to be the Captain in such a short time.

My choices would be van Bommel first…. perhaps Demichelis and that’s about it really. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.