Capello and Terry’s Replacement

As everyone knows by now, John Terry has been stripped of his team captaincy. Fabio Capello, England’s manager, met with Terry last week. “After much thought, I have made the decision that it will be best for me to take the captaincy away from John Terry,” Capello said in a statement.

Capello’s decision was related to Terry’s affair with Vanesa Perroncel, Wayne Bridge’s estranged girlfriend. Bridge, as we all know, is Terry’s teammate in the England national team. Bridge is also the father of Perroncel’s son.

Capello has not announced Terry’s replacement. For the time being, Terry’s deputy Rio Ferdinand holds the temporary position.

And then the speculations start. Names like Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney, and even David Beckham has been mentioned as Terry’s possible replacement.

Ferdinand is Capello’s primary candidate. His leadership qualities are undoubted. He plays center back for Manchester United. He’s won 76 caps for England. But Ferdinand is not squeaky clean. He’s been involved in sex scandals, got a driving ban and an eight month suspension for failing to take a drug test. And oh, he’s missed several MU games due to an injury-plagued season.

Second in line is Steven Gerrard, He’s been a pretty good lad off the park. He’s the current Liverpool captain and regarded as a natural leader. He’s been the center of the Reds’ games.

Next contender is Wayne Rooney. At 24 years young, he’s got a long list of accomplishment. Although he’s mature for his age, some doubts if he’s ready for the responsibility of the captain of a national team. He plays striker, which raises the question whether a captaincy might cause potential communication issues.

Another name is David Beckham, Terry’s predecessor at team captain. If Rooney’s too young, Beckham is very… mature. He’s 34, older than most of his teammates, but can still whoop anyone. However, he has not played starter in his national team, which may affect his chances to become a captain once again.

What is certain is that these are large shoes to fill. England is placed in Group C along with United States, Algeria and Slovenia. England’s last best performance in World Cup was semi-finals in 1990.

Names may be dropped left and right, fans may take bets. But only Capello has the last word.