Maresca confirms Dias and Haaland as temporary Manchester City captains
By Luke Oluoch, August 16, 2026Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has revealed that Rúben Dias and Erling Haaland will act as the tentative captains for the club ahead of the new season.
The coach is angling to start life as the new man at the helm of Man City and explained that the duo will lead the team for the FA Community Shield taking place this Sunday, August 16, 2026, in Wales, with a decision on the other two captains to be made later.
Temporary skippers
“My captains at the moment will be Rúben and Erling, and I want to wait until the end of the transfer window to pick two others,” he stated.
While making the revelation, the Italian manager explained that the role brings added responsibility and expectations for the players—a challenge he is confident they can manage.
“Rúben has shown that he is disciplined and a leader during his time with this club. But the reason they are captains is that I expect more from them, not that I give them more freedom. For me, the leadership group and captains have to give more and offer leadership to the entire team,” he added.
He also clarified his earlier stance, reversing a previous decision regarding why Haaland could not be skipper.
He explained that the Norwegian forward will now be allowed to celebrate when he scores, a departure from his usual philosophy, where the team captain is typically exempt from celebrating goals and instead expected to head to the touchline for instructions from the technical staff.
“He is the only one allowed, and if he scores, he can celebrate,” he explained.
Ready to start
Maresca also confirmed that the Norwegian striker is available to play in the Community Shield, having rejoined the squad just a few days ahead of the season opener.
“He is okay. He had a small issue behind his heel, but he’s okay. Everyone is fit, though we know some of them just arrived two days ago after their summer break.”