At the beginning of February John Terry was sacked as captain of the England national side after allegations were made public of an alleged affair between the Chelsea man and (former team mate) Wayne Bridge’s ex girlfriend. I feel the right decision was made by Fabio Capello, although replacing him with Rio Ferdinand would not have been something I would have done.
While the captain should be someone with good leadership skills and a regular top performer, it is also all about how they conduct themselves off the pitch. Youngsters around the country look up to their heroes and want to emulate them in every way possible. Footballers in general need to show these kids how to behave and what they need to be doing if they are to realise their dream of becoming a professional footballer. This is even more the case when you are the leader of the national side, leader of the country in terms of the sport.
Rio Ferdinand has not been completely free of scandal in the past. Aside from the 2003 missed drugs test in which he received an eight month ban, he has also been involved in various kiss and tells including a sex tape made with fellow team mate Frank Lampard, not to mention the three game ban he received this season for striking Hull City forward Craig Fagan. However, he was named as Terry’s assistant when Capello took over the England reigns, so he is sticking by his decision.
The new assistant, Steven Gerrard, would also not be a good choice, being in the public spotlight too much for the wrong reasons, including a recent alleged bar room brawl. Therefore my choice for England captain for the upcoming World Cup and beyond would be Wayne Rooney. I will agree that he also hasn’t had a squeaky clean past, but over the past season or two he has really quietened down and is even refraining from arguing with officials. He is by far our most outstanding performer, someone I believe would really lead by example.
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