New captain

Maximilian Arnold, who set a new appearance record for VfL Wolfsburg last season, has been named as the team’s new captain. Head coach Niko Kovac announced the decision on Friday.

Arnold was born in Riesa and joined the Green-and-Whites at the age of 15. He made his Bundesliga debut at 17 and to this day remains the club’s youngest-ever top-flight player. The midfield engine, who featured in every league game last season, is now going into his 12th campaign with the first team. At VfL he has also become a full Germany international, having previously represented his country at youth level. Recently, the 28-year-old had fulfilled the role of stand-in captain.

There have been 22 previous Bundesliga captains at VfL. The first after gaining promotion was Jann Jensen, while Diego Benaglio wore the skipper’s armband the longest, holding the role for five years from 2012-2017. Kovac named Arnold’s predecessor Koen Casteels as vice-captain alongside Maxence Lacroix. All three form part of the team council, to which the squad also voted Sebastiaan Bornauw and Pavao Pervan as members.