In Portugal, rivalries take on a different dynamic amongst the fans. And when it comes to players who represent their club, that sentiment just amplifies.
The departure of Ruben Dias was always going to hurt, regardless of who the replacement ended up being.
It is known that former Sporting defender Ruben Semedo was the preference, but instead Otamendi ended up being part of deal with Manchester City. So we now were torn between two players who represented our biggest rivals, and either way, it would never have ended well.
What’s interesting is despite football being very tribal in Europe, it seems that in Portugal fans take it more personal seeing a player they liked eventually end up at a rival. For example, in England or even the Germany it happens somewhat often, and from the outside looking in, it’s as if the fans have just become accepting of the fact that it can and will happen.
So when you think about the divide amongst the fans with a former Porto defender now representing our club, whether he was handed the captains armband after three matches or 15, it was never going to sit well with everyone.
In total, Benfica had five captains to begin the new season. Of those five, Samaris and Andre Almeida are hurt, and Pizzi came off at halftime in Poland, Jardel was on the bench, and Ruben Dias left the club. Let us also not lose sight of the fact that Jorge Jesus typically assigns one of his new signings as one of the captains.
Options in Poland in that given moment were essentially limited to Rafa, Grimaldo, Gabriel or Ody. Now, another thing I will say is that sometimes, people lose sight of what the captain’s responsibility is.
While it’s understandable to say that someone who has been there longer should get the captaincy, that’s not the only prerequisite for that role, or at least it shouldn’t be.
Think of it this way – in your day to day job, just because you have been there longer than your colleague doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re fit for the promotion, or to become the leader of the team. Not everyone has leadership skills, and others may not even care to take on that responsibility. So why should it be any different in this situation?
In his post match press conference, Jorge Jesus explained his idea behind it, and said he chose Otamendi over Vertonghen mainly because he knows the league, and, he speaks Portuguese, something Vertonghen doesn’t do.
Was it a surprise to see the armband on Otamend’s arm? Absolutely. Was I bothered by it? If I’m being honest, I didn’t even notice until about the 80th minute.
If the squad is playing well, and they respect and trust the manager’s decisions, I have no issue with it. Disagree? That’s fine, share your thoughts in the comments below.
