In the summer of 2006, Bayern manager Uli Hoeneß was in the market for a strong presence in central midfield to replace Michael Ballack. What he got in Mark van Bommel was less of a replacement for Ballack and more of a late replacement for Stefan Effenberg. Since his arrival in Munich in 2006, midfield anchor Mark van Bommel has, according to former coach Ottmar Hitzfeld, assumed the role of “aggressive leader” as second in command to captain Oliver Kahn. Upon Kahn’s retirement and Jürgen Klinsmann’s appointment to replace Hitzfeld, van Bommel was given the captain’s armband.

But is van Bommel really the right man for the job? At first, it would seem so: the Dutchman is very vocal and has a strong presence on the field. After van Bommel’s sending off last Saturday against Dortmund, however, many questioned van Bommel’s captaincy. As of now, it seems as though the position of captain may be a detriment not only to Bayern, but also to van Bommel himself.

There is no doubt that the role of captain is to inject desire into a team. Usually, a good captain will bring the best out of his team by being vocal and setting an example. If his team is having a difficult time on the offensive end, a captain may set up and lead a successful play. If his teammates are acting sluggish and losing their challenges, a captain may engage in more 50-50 or even 40-60 challenges, at risk of being carded.

This is not to say that captains must receive bookings in order to be good leaders: Kahn, an undeniably great leader, received just eleven yellow cards over his last five years as captain of Bayern. Since his arrival at Bayern in 2004, centre-back Lucio has been another outspoken leader in the Bayern ranks, but has scored as many goals (12) during this period as he has received yellow cards.

Van Bommel, on the other hand, has received 25 yellow cards and 4 red cards in just over 2 years at Bayern. What’s more, he’s a marked man among Bundesliga referees, who generally show no mercy when judging his fouls. According to many players and coaches, van Bommel is somewhat of a loose cannon: he plays with great passion, but does not always understand his limits.

For example, van Bommel picked up a yellow card in just the second minute of what was possibly the most important match of his career, the Netherlands’ World Cup 2006 round of 16 match against Portugal. Van Bommel’s “professional” foul on Cristiano Ronaldo set the tone for a match that ended with 16 yellow cards and 4 red cards issued.

Questionable judgment is a severe mark on the resume of a would-be captain, as it is he who is supposed to not only lead and inspire his team, but also to be a representative for his club off the pitch. For a captain, it is fundamentally important to be present on the pitch on a regular basis.

After being publicly chastised by Franz Beckenbauer for being sent off in the 23rd minute against Dortmund, van Bommel will bring this knowledge onto the field every time he puts on a Bayern shirt, which may affect and may not his play. If it does, we’ll see a more timid and less effective van Bommel. If it does not, he will likely be suspended at least once this year, if not several times.

While Bayern have plenty of depth to replace van Bommel in the lineup, it is never good to have a captain suspended, as it speaks poorly for a team and decreases morale.

A simple solution for Bayern would be to find another captain. In such a case, there would be no pressure on van Bommel to change his style of play, and the team would benefit from having both a typically aggressive van Bommel and a more consistently present captain.

i voted Lahm cause i think a German should get the arm band n lahm was the only German in that poll.

ithin it should be granted to ze roberto or sangol