Captain Willy?

Bleus and Bayern Munich defender Willy Sagnol is apparently primed and ready to take over the captainship of Bayern Munich once current captain Oliver Kahn finally retires. In 2008. When Kahn will be, like, 80. (Or, okay, technically 39. Except aren’t soccer years kind of like dog years?)

Our Willy (and as much as I love Sagnol, I can’t actually type that without giggling) has received the vote of confidence from King Oliver, who is ready to at least think about passing on the armband. (I don’t think I would personally find it all that comforting to get a vote of confidence from Oliver Kahn. Oliver Kahn scares me on any number of levels.)

In preparation for the preparation for preparing to be captain, Willy is already learning how to piss people off. Bayern/Brazil defender Lucio said that when Sagnol was captain for a match in December, he harshly criticized Lucio for playing too far forward and exposing his team to counterattack. (Bayern lost 4-2, so it looks like maybe the criticism was kind of justified.)

Said Lucio, “”There was no need to give a big theatrical performance with gesticulations and screaming.  That just doesn’t help the team. Bayern has got a load of great players and a lot of qualities but we’re going nowhere if we can’t sort the team spirit out.”

(Lucio has since backed off from the criticism.)

What I find interesting about this is that in every interview I’ve seen him in, Sagnol comes across as very calm and measured. So finding out that he has the passion to scream and gesticulate and make people mad raises him way up in my estimation.

All hail, (future) Captain Willy!