2015 Suitable Captains

[BatiGoal]

The captain is the leader of the team.

As a role model the example the captain sets must meet every expectation he has of the players. Ideally, your captain should be one of the more senior members of the team while it would also be beneficial if he's been at the club for at least a few years and carries a good reputation with his fellow players at the club.

 

However, the problems I've encountered over the FMH years is that sometimes when you get your hands on a new club you might struggle to find a suitable captain within the squad at your disposal if for example you have a particularly young squad with no senior players who'd make a suitable captain or if simply all your players are lacking in the leadership department. Then you may want to sign a new player with the proper leadership qualities who will be able to lead your team more capably. Bringing in a new player to lead the team isn't ideal I have to say but it outweighs selecting an unqualified player for the captaincy role.

 

 

When you look for a new captain in the transfer market, apart from the attributes for the particular position on the pitch + player role he'd be covering in your team formation, you should also try to take the following 5 aspects into consideration as much as you can:

 

 

Age

Experience is key. It allows your player to set an example to the younger members on the pitch so preferably

I like to see my captain in his 30's or at least close to it.

 

Leadership

This will help your captain to lead and motivate team mates more effectively so the higher the number the better.

 

Teamwork

Captains communicate and organize on the pitch trying to get the best possible results out of the team.

 

Decisions

As the leader of the team he's also the key decision maker so I want to see a high number here as well.

 

Position

Perhaps not as important as the other 4 aspects but it still affects his ability to influence the different areas of the

pitch. For example a GK's influence will be restricted to organizing the defence while a midfielder will have a greater

influence on the whole team. It's my personal preference to pick a midfielder or alternatively a defender for this role

as they 'see' the game as it happens and their position facilitates team communication.

 

 

If this helps finding a suitable man for the role that's great, otherwise here's a few players of mine I'd like to recommend that I brought into new teams that have made good captains from day 1.

 

 

Suitable Captains for Defensive Roles

 

 

 

 

 

 

Suitable Captains for Midfield Roles

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Final Words

 

These players have made good captains in my teams in their best roles and they're affordable too.

Also, most come from small teams so they won't be as reluctant to sign for you as most others will.

What I've found is that the bigger teams always have one or two stand out captains so finding one isn't

the hardest part when getting a top job but with mid-table or smaller teams this often isn't the case.

 

Again, it's not ideal to bring in a new player from day 1 to lead your team but if you're out of options it's much

wiser to select a qualified player that can handle the pressure and expectations of a captain and is a strong leader

of the team on the pitch than to hand it over to any player who may even have slightly better numbers and green

attributes for the particular spot in your formation but that will likely succumb to the pressures and take a

confidence hit in the process, which of course won't do his weekly performances any good.

Hopefully I brought you some food for thought.

[LordArcoDW]

Well I always considered Leadership as the only main attribute for a captain because Mats Hummels has always been a good captain though he is young. Secondly a GK like Petr Cech, Buffon, Casillas, Weidenfeller has always worked fine as a captain. But this guide puts up the most interesting fact that I have noticed DMCs and MCs are actually the best captains given they fill up the attributes needed.

Nice guide Bati

[BatiGoal]

Hummels is good now and will be an even much better captain when he's older I'm sure just for the authority he commands alone..

As for the GK..I never liked the idea. Personally I think they're captains at their clubs because of lack of better.

They still do a decent job but not ideal I think.

 

Thanks for the comment.

[Kun Aguero]

I just choose my captain based on leadership attribute, who's higher who's the captain. 

This guide may change my mind. BTW nice guide Bati.

[BatiGoal]

I just choose my captain based on leadership attribute, who's higher who's the captain. 

This guide may change my mind. BTW nice guide Bati.

Thanks Kun.

 

I would urge you to consider the other aspects as well especially if you've got the luxury of 3-4 high leadership players in your team and one stands out with the supporting teamwork and decisions attr. or is 30⁺ opposed to the other much younger candidates. Test it out.

[wallywonka]

good guide bati. normally I pick captains based on how it is irl. like rooney at united. but maybe its time to change that.

[Nokru_King]

Great job Bati, nice guide for beginners and players like me Who choose tema captain only for he's leadership

[Ashez]

Great work and it gets you thinking, however I don't ever recall hand picking my captain lol.

[JustM1kePlays]

Really interesting stuff here BG. As Ash an other stated I either let the AI choose if I'm being lazy or just base it on top Leadership attribute or favourite player.

Will put more thought in to it now. Great Job

[BatiGoal]

Thanks for the comments.

 

I'm actually surprised so few of you put any thought in it ^_^

I was under the impression most would follow a similar route but thought it could help out a few new lads.

 

The reason I started putting more thought into it was when I played a Man Utd career and at some point my older players had either retired or been released. I gave young Phil Jones the captaincy role and his performances suffered ever since. He had I think 16 leadership at the time and seemed like an obvious pick but he was clearly not ready to lead the team. He did a much better job as a captain later in his career in his 30's.

[LostLegend]

Great post Bati!

The impact of having an experienced captain is truly striking on the Enhanced engine.

I managed to limp my Tranmere team through the Championship and into the Premier league. My first signing was the free signing of a now 34yo Di Rossi on his last season and last legs by the look of his stamina and pace! But he still maintains a good Leadership & Teamwork attribute.

Although his individual performances haven't set the league alight, his influence on the team is noticable. My 3 man center midfield unit seems far more organised, tapping neat little passes together in triangles and bringing other players into the fold. Compared to how disorganised and erratic they were before his arrival; he's been a revelation.

Highly reccommended for anyone 3/4 seasons in, needing a top class captain at a discount. Also surprising he came to a team with such a low reputation, as attracting decent players is difficult atm ha ha!

Bet your life I'll be on the hunt for his Evogen when he retires!

[BatiGoal]

Wow a guy with 100+ int. caps for Italy playing for Tranmere.

If that doesn't command respect nothing will.

Great advice looking for worldclass players wanting to add one final season to their career when managing smaller teams.

 

Thanks for sharing, LL.

[Eliseo10]

Romero is sometimes placed as a captain when my first one is not available. I am always a little concerned with this since he is young but he has the stats neccesary to do this.

[Dec]

Great work. I can't believe how many people don't use it.

[Ashez]

From what i've seen it's the only thing the AI is good at working out haha.

[LostLegend]

Wow a guy with 100+ int. caps for Italy playing for Tranmere.

If that doesn't command respect nothing will.

I suppose it's the equivalent of Cambiasso playing for Leicester

[BatiGoal]

@Eliseo10, I even place age above leadership atrr. I rather have a 30yo captain with leadership 12 than a 22yo with leadership 15 for example.

 

@Dec, thanks.

 

@Ashez, does the AI select purely based on leadership skill? I don't remember tbh. I could check for myself tho doesn't take more than a couple minutes.

 

@LL, exactly, also v.Bommel when he returned to PSV to end his career.

[Leko Madonsela]

Henderson and Strootman have good Leadership Attributes and they under 25 at the beginning of the game.

[BatiGoal]

Henderson and Strootman have good Leadership Attributes and they under 25 at the beginning of the game.

Altho they're quite young they would do a decent job leading the team but I would recommend a more senior player if available. Their ideal time to take on the role of a captain would be in 4-5 years from the start of the game but if you're lacking options they make OK alternatives.