Enzo Maresca will not make Erling Haaland permanent Manchester City captain because of a tactical rule that would be disrupted by the striker's frequent goals. The new boss revealed the decision in his first interview since succeeding Pep Guardiola.
Maresca's captaincy rule
Maresca explained that at Leicester and Chelsea, he had a rule that when the team scored, the captain had to come to the bench for instructions instead of celebrating. However, if the captain scores, he can celebrate.
"If Erling is the captain, f****** hell - we have a problem, can you imagine?" Maresca said. The rule aims to allow quick tactical adjustments during matches.
Haaland's leadership role
Haaland was made a City captain after January 2025 when he signed a new deal committing him to the club for almost a decade. The 26-year-old has grown as a leader and is one of the few remaining players from the Treble-winning squad.
Maresca's system focuses on getting the ball to wide players to create more chances for Haaland, which would lead to more goals and more celebrations, making the rule impractical for him.
Current leadership group
Maresca noted that after a 3-1 win against K-League All-Stars, Ruben came to the bench after the first goal. He said there are three or four leaders currently, with one missing, and mentioned Rodri's situation is uncertain.
Guardiola had left captaincy to a player vote for nine seasons but changed that in his final year, appointing Bernardo Silva. Maresca will choose the next skipper and wants to add an English player to the leadership group, with Phil Foden or Marc Guehi as potential beneficiaries.
