Leicester City Captains: A List of Players That Have Captained LCFC

Although people will argue over the importance of the captaincy role in modern football, it tends to be a position that players take pride in. Being judged ‘captain material’ by your manager is quite the compliment, as captains are usually picked for their leadership, communication skills, experience and commitment.

Often a responsibility bestowed upon more senior footballers, many Leicester players have taken up the role over the years. Some stayed as captain for many seasons, whereas for others, it was just a short-term arrangement. Either way, this article will look at all the Leicester captains starting from the 1990s right up to the present day. Note this only includes ‘official’ permanent captains not those simply filling in as short-term or vice-captains.

Ali Mauchlen: 1985-1991

Alistair ‘Ali’ Maichlen spent seven years of his career at Leicester after making the switch from Motherwell in 1985. He had been named captain at the Scottish club thanks to his tenacity and no-nonsense approach, so he was always going to be a candidate for the role at Leicester once he got settled. Although he did not claim the armband immediately, the Scot’s leadership abilities soon shone through and he ended up having an extended stint being the team’s leader.

Steve Walsh: 1991-1992

Walsh was one of the greatest Leicester skippers in the club’s history and deservedly earned the nickname ‘Captain Fantastic’. The Foxes have not won a large number of major trophies during their long history but it was Walsh who led them to the League Cup in 1997. This was only Leicester’s second major domestic cup win, so it was a special moment for all involved. Although Walsh spent much of his time at Leicester as a calming presence in the centre of defence, he also had some spells playing up front. Brian Little regularly gave him the job of leading the line in the 1992/93 season and from here Walsh managed to return a respectable 15 goals. This is why his goal return across his 450 Foxes appearances is much higher than you might expect for a defender.

Gary Mills: 1992-1993

Mills did not captain Leicester in many matches, in the grand scheme of things, but did wear the armband during the club’s push for promotion in 1992/93. He captained his team in the thrilling play-off final with Swindon Town. The Foxes initially went 3-0 but rallied to level the game, only for Swindon to convert a controversial, decisive penalty in the 84th minute. It was a brutal way to end an incredibly taxing season for Mills who made 53 appearances across all competitions, only missing three matches.

Steve Agnew: 1994-1999

Blackburn Rovers forked out £700k for Steve Agnew, a record signing at the time, yet he only made four appearances for the club. Surplus to requirements, the midfielder moved to Leicester where he played a much more integral role. Agnew was the skipper in his only full season at the club, leading them to promotion in 1993/94. One of his most memorable matches though came before he was named captain, a clash versus Millwall late on in the 1992/93 season. After a seemingly innocuous challenge, a furious Agnew responded poorly and was close to throwing punches. He was sent off for this but despite being a man down, Leicester scored again to secure a memorable 3-0 win.

Matt Elliott: 1999-2005

Leicester paid Oxford United £1.6m for Matt Elliott in 1997, a record incoming fee for Oxford until they sold Kemar Roofe to Leeds 19 years later. Oxford were playing in Division One at the time (second tier) so the jump up to the Premier League was not a gigantic one but still, few fans expected Elliott to be such a hit. This he certainly was though and the bruising defender quickly became a regular for the Foxes. Most memorably, while wearing the captain’s armband Elliott scored twice against Tranmere Rovers in the 2000 League Cup Final. This would have been an extra sweet moment for the Scottish international given he was cup-tied for Leicester’s win in 1997.

Danny Tiatto: 2005-2006

Australian-born Tiatto became Leicester’s first non-British captain when taking over from Elliott following the latter’s loan move to Ipswich in 2004. It was a role he seemed to relish as after the 2004/05 campaign, Leicester fans voted him as their Player of the Season. Hampered by injuries the following year though, he only made 21 appearances across competitions. With the club needing a more reliable captain, the Australian captain lost his skipper privileges at the end of the 2005/06 season before leaving Leicester altogether in the summer of 2007.

Paddy McCarthy: 2006-2007

One attribute people associate with a good captain is having a cool head, but you could not really say that about McCarthy. The season before being awarded the Leicester captaincy, the Irishman collected two red cards and 12 yellows. Lover of a crunching tackle, he averaged almost a card every three games during his time at the Walkers Stadium. Still, the Foxes faithful enjoyed his no-nonsense way of playing the game. Despite offering their club captain a new contract in 2007, McCarthy turned the Foxes down, preferring instead to secure a move to Charlton in the summer.

Stephen Clemence: 2007-2009

In most cases, Leicester players have earned the captaincy following one or more seasons at the club. In the case of Clemence though, he was named captain just a couple of weeks after joining the Foxes following a £1m transfer from Birmingham. Not that this decision was entirely to blame but Leicester endured a terrible season and were relegated to League One. Clemence had tried his best to keep the Foxes afloat but a serious calf injury in March meant he missed the most crucial part of the season. Leicester still had five very winnable games left but without their skipper, they won just one and finished a point shy of safety.

Matt Oakley: 2009-2011

For the 2008-09 season, Clemence remained as captain but played no part in the campaign due to injury. So, the job of leading the team on the pitch fell to vice-captain Matt Oakley. Later named in the PFA Team of the Year, Oakley had an exceptional campaign with the armband on and guided Leicester to a comfortable League One title. Following a hugely successful season, it seemed only logical to promote Oakley to ‘full’ captain the following year. Oakley remained skipper until March 2011 when he relinquished the role due to a lack of starts, just a day after signing a one-year contract extension.

Andy King: 2011

With Matt Oakley watching much of the 2010/11 season from the bench, it was Andy King who ended up deputising. When Oakley officially stood back from the role, King was the natural successor for the remainder of the campaign. It did not turn out to be much of a permanent role though as King, the club’s top goalscorer that year, only retained the role for the last six weeks of the season before more change occurred. He would go on to skipper the club in occasional games in the years ahead though.

Matt Mills: 2011-2012

Soon after signing central defender Matt Mills from Reading, Sven-Goran Eriksson opted to name him as the club’s new captain. This was not an unfamiliar role for the old-fashioned centre half who had been given the same responsibility while playing for the Royals. When not missing games through suspension, Mills was a regular feature in the starting XI but then things began to turn sour. Following an alleged bust-up with new boss Nigel Pearson, Mills lost the captaincy and was forced to train with the youth players. He never played for Leicester again and moved to Bolton Wanderers in the summer.

Wes Morgan: 2012-2021

Whatever happened between Mills and Pearson seemed to work out for the best as Leicester’s next permanent captain turned out to be none other than the legendary Wes Morgan. After showing quality during his debut season, the Jamaican defender was given the responsibility of being the team’s skipper for the 2012/13 campaign. He continued to lead the team for nine consecutive seasons in total, during this time making over 300 appearances for the club. Revered by teammates and staff alike, Morgan steered the Foxes to a Championship title and then incredibly, a Premier League title. Although teammates like Riyad Mahrez, Jamie Vardy and N’Golo Kante perhaps received more plaudits for the latter, Morgan was an absolute rock at the back and made it into the PFA Team of the Year.

Kasper Schmeichel: 2021-2022

An ageing Morgan only made three league appearances during the 2020/21 season, a year that would be his final one before retirement. With the Jamaican rarely on the field, another club legend, Kasper Schmeichel, would be the one to take up captain responsibilities due to his role as vice-captain. This was not his first experience as Leicester’s skipper as he first had the honour during a game with Nottingham Forest all the way back in 2012. The Dane was named permanent captain for the first time, however, ahead of the 2021/22 season which would be his last at the King Power Stadium. Seeking a fresh challenge, the Dane moved to French outfit Nice, putting an end to an 11-year stay at the club where he amassed 479 appearances.

Jonny Evans: 2022-2023

With both the extremely experienced Morgan and Schmeichel now gone, Leicester sought a new veteran to be the leader and role model in the team. For this, Jonny Evans seemed the perfect candidate having been such a cool head at the back for Leicester since 2018. The Northern Irishman wore the armband for the 2022/23 season in what proved to be his final year at the King Power before a surprise return to Man Utd. It was a rather disastrous season too both for him and the club. Not only did the Foxes end up relegated but Evans made a mere 14 appearances due to a serious calf injury.

Jamie Vardy: 2023…

Enzo Maresca’s unusual approach to the captaincy role during his time at Leicester meant he did not officially name one captain and one vice-captain. Instead, he stated that there were “four or five players who all can be leaders and can be captain.” While talking about this, he named four players specifically, one of whom was Jamie Vardy. Although no hierarchy was mentioned, Vardy was unofficially the top pick as he would claim the armband whenever he was on the pitch. Although not your most typical captain choice, Vardy did have the benefit of being a huge fan favourite and a club legend having been around since 2012. The Englishman was not a consistent starter for Maresca but still scored 18 league goals from 35 appearances as Leicester secured the 2023/24 Championship title. When Vardy didn’t play Ricardo Pereira was the default pick, with Marc Albrighton and Conor Coady the other named leaders.