Harry Kane loves captaining England. In fact, his goalscoring record when he does is astounding.
The player was named England skipper by Gareth Southgate ahead of the World Cup, and no one doubts that Kane will go into the tournament determined to lead England to victory.
While it would be hard to claim Kane doesn't deserve to skipper England based on pure footballing ability – he's the standout player in the team after all, and the one the country is looking to if they plan on doing anything in Russia – there is the question of if he should've got the nod ahead of say Jordan Henderson, who might not be as talented, but who certainly knows how to captain a side and is someone who knows how to dig deep when it's needed.
It raised the question of just how you pick a captain. Do you pick the outstanding player in the side, even if they're not really captain material and aren't as vocal as some others, or do you pick the player who the dressing room look up to and who is someone that will put their body on the line for the win?
Ideally, it's a mixture of both. Sergio Ramos is seen as the ideal captain to everyone outside of Egypt. Steven Gerrard may have been fortunate to just edge Jamie Carragher in terms of the Liverpool armband, but the midfielder dragged the club to wins more times than most people. John Terry is another example of the ideal captain, for Chelsea at least, given the less said about the termination of his England captaincy, the better.
Cristiano Ronaldo captains Portugal because he's their superstar, and while he's become far more of a leader as he's aged, quite if he should've been handed the job for the first time back in February 2007 and then become the permanent captain in the summer of 2008 is certainly a point to be debated.
As with Lionel Messi, who may be a far more vocal player now, but who was known for being a very quiet voice earlier in his career and someone who didn't really enjoy captaining sides. Given Messi walked away from Argentina after the Copa America in 2014 and then promptly went back when his tantrum had subsided, it begs the question of if he's got the mentality to captain a side, or if Argentina might be better off with someone else.
Some managers, like Jose Mourinho, don't like having goalkeepers as their captain as they think the player needs to be at the heart of the action. Others will pick the player who has been their longest. That's the case with many international sides and indeed club sides as well.
At 27-years-old, Henderson can count himself unlucky to miss out on skippering his country given he does so for his club and does it well at that.
It's also arguable he would unite the dressing room and fanbase slightly more than Kane, who was of course mocked after his attempts to claim a goal that many didn't think was his. That's before his reaction to the Chris Smalling tweet is even brought up, and it's certainly worth considering the fact that Kane is still so young, and as mature as he seems, giving the armband to him may well heap pressure on his shoulders the player doesn't need.
Of course, it can just as likely do the opposite, with Kane someone who has proven he can do it on the field again and again for Spurs. He's also guaranteed to start every game – something Henderson may not be, and that's certainly a key consideration for any manager.
The press, of course, love Kane, and he will certainly receive far more favourable treatment than some other players would – but the question over his mentality remains in light of the Stoke fiasco and his reaction.
Is that something Kane would do again when the pressure was on in Russia? Henderson's track record is one of considerably more experience when it comes to leading a side and indeed speaking to the media after games, and it's something he does very, very well.
Given Kane doesn't captain his own club, it's certainly not the case Southgate picked him after being impressed with his leadership credentials, though it has to be said, you don't need to wear an armband to lead - something Gary Cahill will no doubt display in Russia.
It was certainly an interesting pick from Southgate, and time will tell if it ends up being the first of many, many tournaments Kane leads his country in, yet the very real risk of the player being made a scapegoat and having too much to think about when all he should be focusing on is scoring goals – and that would be disastrous for England.
