The Mystery of the Milan Captain
Who is AC Milan's captain? That's a question even Paulo Fonseca doesn't seem to have an answer for right now. The team has had five different captains in just ten matches, a constant rotation driven by injuries and suspensions.
The Milan captain's armband has been worn by five different players at the start of this season, ranging from regulars like Davide Calabria and Theo Hernández to Fikayo Tomori, Mike Maignan, and Rafael Leao.
In the most recent Serie A match against Udinese, French goalkeeper Mike Maignan took the captain's armband, becoming the fifth player to do so this season at San Siro, as the role shifts from player to player with little continuity.
Typically, when he plays, Davide Calabria serves as captain due to his long tenure with the club. However, Theo Hernández is often a reliable option as well, playing more regularly than Calabria, though his suspension and recent performances have affected his consistency.
Neither Calabria nor Theo were present against Udinese—Calabria was sidelined with an injury, and Theo was serving a suspension. Rafael Leao and Fikayo Tomori, the other captaincy options, were also absent. Coach Paulo Fonseca, aware that only the captain is allowed to speak with the referee this season, usually avoids naming the goalkeeper as captain, but circumstances left him with limited choices.
The constant absences due to injuries or suspensions have turned the captaincy into a mystery each matchday for Milan.
Fonseca, who explained his preference for shared leadership within the squad, has been true to his word: five captains in ten matches.
"When I arrived here, I saw that the captains are the players with the most appearances. I want to respect that, but I also want a broader, shared leadership. We have the possibility of having more players as captains. We want to share this responsibility; we have five," Fonseca said in a pre-match press conference ahead of the Champions League game against Bayer Leverkusen.
The departures of players like Olivier Giroud, Simon Kjær, and Rade Krunić opened the door for others, even those who haven't been at the club for long, to take on leadership roles.
Tomori, for instance, joined the club in 2020. Maignan, an undisputed starter and one of the team's core leaders, arrived in 2021. In just three years, the French goalkeeper has earned his place as a captain option.
The influx of new players in recent years has also accelerated this shift. In the match against Udinese, German defender Malik Thiaw was the player with the most appearances in a Milan shirt, having joined the club in 2022.
