Melbourne City boss Warren Joyce has opted for a five-man leadership group for the Hyundai A-League 2017/18 Season.
Caltex Socceroos veteran Tim Cahill has been appointed ‘club captain’, while defender Michael Jakobsen is team captain and will wear the armband in City’s season opener against Brisbane Roar on Friday night.
The other three members of the leadership group include two-time Hyundai A-League Championship winner Eugene Galekovic, defensive midfielder Osama Malik and 21-year-old attacking midfielder Stefan Mauk.
“I’m an advocate for having multiple leaders, not just one captain, who can share responsibilities and keep everyone in the team accountable,” Joyce said.
“Each player has been selected as we believe them to be natural leaders.
“Tim inspires our players in his actions and through his experience; he’s worn the armband for Everton and for his country at the highest level and we expect him to continue to represent City with great passion to motivate our players.
“Eugene’s achieved everything there is to achieve in Australian domestic football and his resume speaks for itself. He’s a great character who lifts everyone around him, but also provides expert tuition to our other young defensive players.
“In Michael we have a player with ingrained leadership qualities, Osama is a fantastic character and player we see great potential in developing, while Stef is an intelligent player, who, even though still young, has matured through his recent experience in Europe.”
Injured Bruno Fornaroli, who was captain of the side last season, will be involved in the leadership group once he returns to first team action.
