Many teams are ravenous for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which lends to an exceptional show of skill, teamwork, and leadership set to be displayed during the competition. Just like a military unit, the team is better functioning with someone who can provide guidance, diplomacy, integrity, and respect. The following three players are the ones that can, and have, done just that.
1. Lionel Messi (Argentina)
As with everyone on this list, Messi is constantly considered to be one of the best players of all time. There is a reason why he is the captain of the Argentinian team and that is because of not only his supreme skill with the ball during play but the way he is able to lead his troops on the field, no matter who the competition is, to win. He is somewhat diminutive in size but that has not stopped him from massive success on and off the field. And when Diego Maradona praises him for his skill, then you know that the team he is captaining is in the right hands. It is almost guaranteed that every Argentinian child who loves the game will have a poster of Lionel Messi in their bedroom. He is a great supporter of young up-and-comers and helps the youth of his and other nations as well as he can to encourage sporting participation.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
There is no football fan in the world who doesn’t know the name, Cristiano Ronaldo. He is one of the greats and is looked up to by every budding soccer player all around the world at the age of 37. He has been captain of the Portuguese team since 2007 and has amassed several records during that time. In 2021 he became the all-time international goal scorer, with 2 out of the 3 goals scored against Hungary in the Euro 2020 Championship. This is why the World Cup champion odds tend to be tipped in his team’s favor, no matter what and no matter when.
Ronaldo is known to have a rivalry with Lionel Messi but it has been downplayed by them both essentially saying it is the media that creates the tension. They do have a rivalry in some aspects, but it is only because they respect each other on a professional level. Either way, Ronaldo is a formidable figure of the game and worthy of captaincy.
3. Sergio Ramos (Spain)
Sergio Ramos is widely considered one of the greatest defenders of all time and the truth can be told through his actions. It is not every day that you can get such an adroit player that has such extensive skill on the field. He was born in Carmas, Spain in 1986 and quickly rose through the ranks as a junior and made his way up to the pro level in 2003. He was named captain of the international team in 2015 and is known to be an aggressive opponent, having had altercations with Lionel Messi in the past. He is also the most yellow-carded player in the history of the Spanish national team. When one thinks about it though, these attributes can make someone a true defender and leader. And he has proved it, with the Spanish team becoming World Cup champions in 2010 under his leadership, whether he will be selected after limited playing time at PSG remains to be seen.