With Vincent Kompany being injured more often than not, and his deputy Eden Hazard not fit enough to play for Belgium, Jan Vertonghen had been expected to captain his country against Greece on Saturday.
Vertonghen was next in line under previous manager Marc Wilmots, and the Belgian media had been reporting the Tottenham defender would get the armband, there being little reason to change things.
However, manager Roberto Martinez has made it clear it’s not that straightforward: “With Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld, Thomas Vermaelen, Thibaut Courtois and Kevin De Bruyne, I have five players involved for the armband.”
Vertonghen has insisted he’s cool with whatever Martinez chooses, quoted by Belgium’s RTBF as saying: “If I’m not captain on Saturday, it’s not a big deal for me, it’s more symbolic, we have a lot of national team leaders both on and off the pitch. Players like Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne are young but they already have a lot of experience and are mentally strong enough to wear the captain’s armband too.”
The Tottenham player could hardly say anything else, but he won’t be believed by many. For any footballer the chance to captain their country is a big one and with Hazard ahead in the pecking order, it’s a chance that’s not going to come around very often.
Vertonghen is surely hoping Martinez gives him the nod and he’s likely to be pleased. The Belgium manager doesn’t seem the type to rock the boat unnecessarily.
