The most iconic five captain's armbands

The date of appearance of the first captain's armband isn't known, although the captain's role is always present in football. In time, the role of the leader of a club has been remarked more and more, identifying it clearly as the responsible, a motivator, a guide into the pitch. We can talk forever about captain's armbands, talking about how they become a vehicle of specific messages or about some facts related - for example, do you know that the Arsenal's captain is the one who decides for everyone if the sleeves of the jerseys for the matches will be long or short? - or even about its crucial importance for who worn them and how they become protagonists of sporty stories that occupy for weeks the front pages of newspapers, as we saw with the recent Icardi case, who finished on the outs with Inter after being deprived of his dear armband and of all it meant for him. However, nowadays the discussion theme that more involve them is their process of rarefaction: after the Premier League and the UEFA and FIFA competitions, Serie A has started this season with a single captain's armband for all the teams - exception made for extraordinary cases like the one of Fiorentina which obtained a special exemption for wearing a personalized band in honor of Davide Astori - and for the future, the way seems the same for the other leagues. Until today we have seen captain's armbands of all types, from the more sober models to the more weirdoes and those ones subject of collaborations, all with the aim of representing a club around the arm of its captain but, as we said, even of idealizing an idea, a sentiment or a memory. Today we see five armbands among the most unforgettable.

#1 FC Barcelona

Barcelona's captain's armband is like the camiseta blaugrana: it doesn't change, and if it does it, is in small proportion. The Catalans celebrate with utmost patriotism and huge pride their region on an armband inspired by the Catalan flag, also worn by legends like Cruyff, Puyol and Messi. In addition, the pattern has appeared various times on Barça's away jersey, with the aim of enhancing more the Catalan pride of the team now managed by Ernesto Valverde.

#2 Ajax

Closer to a wristband than to an armband because of its texture, Ajax's armband exposes the three X of the Amsterdam flag and it's coloured black with red borders and white X, despite it was modified several times during years. Baby top talent Matthijs De Ligt is the one who wears it at the moment, succeeding to strong personalities in Ajax's history such as Danny Blind and Rafael van der Vaart.

#3 St. Pauli

Hamburg's club St. Pauli is definitely one of the cult teams in Europe, with lots of facts and legends to their name related and the reputation of the most hipster club in the world. The team's armband is simple and impactful: black with the Jolly Roger dyed white, the sign of recognition of all the Pirates, the Kiezkicker's supporters, which was adopted by theme in the 80s after the movement of the club's headquarter in the x-rated zone of the city.

#4 Germany

If we think to "Der Kaiser" Franz Beckenbauer we remember inevitably his biggest qualities: personality, charisma and leadership are just a few of the skills that have made him West Germany's captain in 1971, moreover than one of the first players we think of wondering on the figure of captain in football. The iconic German armband by him wore and evolved during years - mainly after Germany's reunion - is legendary for various reasons, like its simple and symbolic design: the three stripes of the German flag that smell of history and champions. Sometimes, the word "Spielführer", which literally means "captain", has been with them. 

#5 Athletic Bilbao

As Barcelona does, even Athletic Bilbao binds indissolubly with their territory. Markel Susaeta's armband is coloured white, green and red and reflects the Basque Country's flag pattern, the region where Bilbao's team is located and everywhere known for its relation with its land, from which they take the top talents to lead them to the first club, forging a typically Basque hardcore.

#6 Bonus - Buffon, Baggio & Asamoah Gyan

Wherever teams haven't a particularly mythic armband, a player could take care of this, creating one equally outstanding. Roberto Baggio, Buffon, Sorrentino, De Rossi but also Papu Gomez and Asamoah Gyan with his Ghana are just a few of the players remembered also for their fantasy and their skill to invent new captain's armbands simply uniques and various weekend after weekend.