Find out some of the famous soccer captains in the world right now.
Captains are the leaders of the team, and the success of every team depends on who is in charge of the on-field pep talk.
In modern football, we’ve had the luxury of watching some iconic names like Sergio Ramos, Steven Gerrard, Francesco Totti, and Manuel Neuer put on the armband.
In 2025 some of the best football captains include Marlon Freitas, who led Botafogo to a double. Others are Lionel Messi and Serge Aurier.
Famous and best soccer captains right now
10. Virgil van Dijk
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Virgil van Dijk is one of the famous soccer captains currently, especially due to his consistency in the English Premier League.
The Dutchman has been part of the team's success, from the UEFA Champions League triumph to the Premier League success.
Virgil van Dijk captained the team as they won the EFL Cup in the 2023/24 season. He remains the captain of the side as they look clear favourites to lift the title.
9. Marlon Freitas (Botafogo)
A lot of soccer fans may not know him too well, but he was the captain of the double-winning team in 2024.
Marlon Freitas was the team captain for Botafogo as they went on to win the Brazilian Soccer Championship and the Copa Libertadores title.
Botafogo lost out on the league title in 2023 after leading the table with barely a few games until the end of the league before eventually losing it.
8. Abdulaziz Hatem (Qatar National Team)
Abdulaziz Hatem, as the Qatari national team lead, may not be one of the household names in world soccer, but he played a significant role during the team's triumph at the Asian Cup.
Qatar went on to lift the title, which is the second-ever success throughout the competition's history.
Abdulaziz Hatem plays as a forward for Qatari soccer club Al Rayyan and the national team.
7. Serge Aurier (Ivory Coast National Team)
Serge Aurier was the captain as Ivory went all the way to the finals and won the African Cup of Nations as the host country of the competition.
Serge Aurier was appointed captain to lead the team throughout the tournament. He was also a key player throughout the tournament and helped them to lift the title.
Ivory was not one of the clear favourites; however, it was an impressive run, especially during the final to defeat Nigeria to the title.
Serge Aurier is arguably one of the most famous captains in world soccer, especially at the national team level.
6. Georgios Masouras (Olympiacos)
Olympiacos won their first-ever European soccer trophy following their triumph at the UEFA Europa Conference League final.
Georgios Masouras was the captain of the team that had the fairytale run throughout the competition to win the title. The Greek winger was also outstanding throughout the season.
Following the triumph at the finals, Olympiacos became one of the first Greek teams to ever win a major European soccer title. Interestingly, the club's youth development team also won the UEFA Youth League.
5. Lukas Hradecky (Bayer Leverkusen)
Lukas Hradecky played an important role as Bayer Leverkusen won the double in Germany.
He was outstanding in goal as head coach Xabi Alonso entrusted him with the captaincy of the team.
Bayer Leverkusen went on to win the German Bundesliga and the German Cup to complete the domestic double and advanced to the UEFA Europa League final.
Lukas Hradecky was reliable in goal for Bayer Leverkusen throughout the season and saved the team in many crucial moments. The Finland goalkeeper has been part of the club since 2018 following his arrival from Eintracht Frankfurt.
4. Rafael Tolói (Atalanta BC)
Rafael Tolói is the current captain of the Italian football club Atalanta BC. It would be impossible to complete the list without the inclusion of the Italian.
Atalanta had a historic season in Italy when it emerged as champions of Europe for the first time in their history.
It was a memorable final for the club following the defeat of German Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen.
Rafael Tolói has been one of the key players in the team alongside Nigerian for Ademola Lookman, who was handed the man of the match award in the final.
Rafael Tolói has been part of the team since 2015, following his arrival from the Brazilian side São Paulo FC.
3. Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid/Spain)
Dani Carvajal is another famous captain on the list. Without a doubt, the Spaniard showcased his leadership skills and played a man-of-the-match performance in the UEFA Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund in 2024.
Dani Carvajal, who led the team, was outstanding throughout the competition and singlehandedly played the key role that led to the title.
Real Madrid triumphed on the day, becoming the club's 15th UEFA Champions League winner and the only club with the most titles in the competition's history.
Dani Carvajal, with his defensive duties, is ranked as one of the best defenders of his generation.
2. Álvaro Morata (Atletico Madrid/Spain)
Álvaro Morata was the captain of the Spanish national soccer team that went all the way to the finals of the European Football Championship to lift the title.
In a competition where many had tipped the star-studded teams, Spain won the title against all odds.
Álvaro Morata oversaw the team as the lead captain and played a significant role on and off the pitch to help the team lift its fourth European Football Championship title.
Morata currently plays for Spanish La Liga side Atletico Madrid and is also one of the most consistent players on the team.
He was also the captain of the Spanish men’s national team that won the 2022/23 UEFA Nations League.
1. Lionel Messi (Inter Miami/Argentina)
Lionel Messi is arguably one of the most famous and best soccer captains in the world. He played a significant role as Argentina won the Copa America.
Messi has been part of the Argentine national team, and Jas helped the team to lift every major international trophy, including the World Cup, which was achieved during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Messi played the lead role as Argentina won their 16th Copa America title to be the only country in the history of the competition with the most titles.
Messi is expected to be part of the team in subsequent tournaments.