Manchester City name five captains for 2023-24 season

Kyle Walker is among those five captain

Following an election by the players to elect their captains for the upcoming campaign, Kyle Walker will keep the Manchester City captaincy.

Kyle Walker was ultimately on the verge of signing a three-year contract that would have kept him at the Etihad until 2026 in the summer, but he was persuaded to stay instead of joining Bayern Munich.

With the exception of Burnley's opening Premier League match, where Kevin De Bruyne began as skipper but was eventually forced off due to injury, the England international has served as captain for each match this season.

As customary, Pep Guardiola insisted that the team wait through the end of the transfer season before voting on the five players who would serve as the group captains. Rodri and Ruben Dias were additionally selected this time around in addition to Walker and De Bruyne.

Bernardo Silva, another player who was given the option of leaving in the summer but decided on signing a new contract committing to the team until 2026, is the most recent addition to the group. Like Walker, the 29-year-old has been a member of the team for six years, and he has been selected as one of the five leaders.

At the end of the week, Guardiola discussed Silva's importance to the team and how difficult it would be to replace him. Walker added to that by stating that gaining more vacation time might depend on his connections with the management.

"Bernardo has shown on the pitch how important he is to the team," said Walker. "Off the pitch, there is a lot that you don't see. He has a really good relationship with the manager, so if we want days off we'll get him to ask."

“Yes, the captain’s vote has come and the five have been chosen and we will lead the team for the season and make sure everyone is in check and the fines are paid up,” Walker quipped.

“The order doesn't matter. It will be myself, Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri, Ruben (Dias) and Bernardo (Silva).