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The most famous personalized captain’s armbands
When we talk about personalized captain’s armbands we get a certain nostalgia, knowing that since the beginning of the 2018/2019 football season the League has banned, at least for Serie A, the use of personalized armbands by proposing a unique one for all captains.
So we decided to flashback to the past in search of the best custom captain’s armbands that have marked soccer history.
What a personalized captain’s armband hides
Most younger fans will think that it was Alejandro Gomes, better known as Papu Gomes, who opened the dances of personalized captain’s armbands. He’s certainly the one who has been giving us the most varied graphics lately (from Holly and Benji to a Mother’s Day dedication), but he’s certainly not the only one, let alone the first one to do so.
Fighting along with Papu to keep the personalized captain’s armband is also Daniele De Rossi, Roma’s captain. Just on the occasion of the first league game, he decided not to wear the unique armband chosen by the league, but to show up with a personalized armband with the inscription:
“You are my only bride, you are my only love.”
Before him there have been many other captains who throughout their football careers have made their mark not only by their skills on the field but also by their wonderful personalized captain’s armbands.
The common thread in all of these graphics, while distant in time, is the thought and intention behind each creation. Each band communicates something about the captain who wears it: his life, his family, his passions and, why not, his emotions.
Unfortunately, it also happened that the personalized armbands were tributes to victims and catastrophes that occurred in the rest of the world, away from soccer. For example, in 2015 Palermo goalkeeper Sorrentino remembered the victims of the Paris Bataclan terrorist massacre. Or Marco Di Vaio, captain of Bologna, paid tribute to the Japanese people after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
Equally common are armbands in memory of soccer players: one among many is Piermario Morosini, who was honored by both Juventus captain Bonucci and Udinese captain Di Natale.
Totti, Zanetti and Buffon: some of the most beautiful captain’s armbands
Often the most loyal captains engrave on their armbands the years in which they honored the jersey. We recall:
- Francesco Totti, Roma captain, who wore a commemorative armband in his last year as captain.
- Javier Zanetti, with a sash bearing all the names of Inter’s captains.
- Gianluigi Buffon, celebrating his 500 appearances with Juventus, with a fully zebra-striped sash and the inscription #1 worn in 2014 Milan-Juventus.
Zanetti, with one of his armbands, also wanted to pay homage to Pope Francis, wearing a yellow armband with the initials of the two and the flags of Italy, Argentina and Vatican City. In his last game as captain, however, he chose a sash that read “Zanetti 4 ever.”
Totti is also an expert on the personalized captain’s armband: in the 2005-2006 season he wore a armband with a design of a gladiator, while a few years later he chose one depicting the Colosseum.
Fun fact: When Totti is called to leave the field, his replacement always wears another armband, emphasizing the importance and honor of the personalized captain’s armband.
Custom captain’s armbands in the rest of the world
One of the most famous is the one used by all of Barcelona’s captains, from Carles Puyol to Lionel Messi: it bears the colors of Catalonia and, in addition to the Barcelona coat of arms, also has the words Capità, which means captain in Catalan.
Ajax ‘s captain’s armband also has an interesting history: it incorporates the symbols of the city flag, with a red background, black stripe and white St. Andrew’s crosses, a symbolic thanks to the team’s fans.
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