According to British media, Reece James has been chosen as the new Chelsea captain starting from the 2023/24 season.
Reece James becomes Chelsea captain
With captain Cesar Azpilicueta officially leaving Chelsea after 11 seasons at Atletico Madrid, the Blues need to find a new captain for the club. Two strong candidates to replace Azpilicueta’s captain are old generals Thiago Silva and Reece James. In the end, coach Pochettino decided to put his faith in the English right-back.
“I am delighted to be taking on this role and responsibility. I know it will be difficult because we have had great captains in the past, but I am very excited. I have been with Chelsea almost all the time. My life. I’m here when I was 6 years old, coming out of the academy was tough. But to go on and be captain of the team, it’s a proud feeling for me and my family,” James shared. shall.
James has been with Chelsea for 17 years, going through all levels of the team and has spent his entire career with the Stamford Bridge club. The only time he left the club was when he was loaned to Wigan in 2018. The right-back was promoted to Chelsea’s first team by Frank Lampard from the 2019/20 season and has been an important part of the team ever since.
Youngest captain in Chelsea history
At the age of 23, James is undoubtedly one of the youngest captains in Chelsea history. However, he is still quite far behind the person standing in first place, Ray Wilkins.
Ray Wilkins is recognized as the youngest captain in Chelsea history. After just 28 appearances for Chelsea, 18-year-old Ray Wilkins has been handed the Blues captaincy. Chelsea was then just a mediocre team in England, and in the six seasons with the club, Wilkins did not win any titles. However, he is still remembered as one of the brightest talents of the London team in the 70s.
Chelsea’s captaincy was once held by great legends such as John Terry, Frank Lampard, Ron Harris or Marcel Desailly. Therefore, this is a great pressure and also a great honor for a “homegrown” player like James.
