Salute our seven skippers with the Spurs Shop!

When Harry Winks proudly pulled on the armband against Wolves at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium recently, he became the seventh player to start a competitive first team game for us as captain this season.

Here’s a special look at our seven skippers of 2019/20 – three of whom have been ‘first-timers’ with the armband – along with some related ideas on how you can keep yourself in charge of your household during this period of quarantine with homeware products, books and toys for the kids...

Hugo Lloris

Simply put, Hugo Lloris is the captain. A long-term skipper of the France national team, the former Nice and Lyon goalkeeper’s leadership qualities quickly shone through following his arrival at Spurs in 2012 and he was named vice-captain at the start of the 2014/15 season as the team’s leadership group underwent a refresh following the departure of previous Club captain Michael Dawson to Hull City.

Our skipper for the first time in a 2-1 victory away to Cypriot outfit AEL Limassol in Europa League qualifying in August, 2014, Hugo actually ended up wearing the armband for the majority of that season, before assuming the captaincy on a permanent basis ahead of the 2015/16 when previous incumbent Younes Kaboul moved to Sunderland. He has led the team out ever since, aside from the odd spell on the sidelines through injury or suspension.

Harry Kane

Talismanic striker Harry Kane has led from the front in every game he’s played since breaking into the first team on a regular basis in the opening months of the 2014/15 season. A frequent captain of our Under-21 side when he played at that level, his first two senior games with the armband came as early as April, 2015, away to Burnley and at home to Aston Villa with Younes Kaboul not in the squad and Hugo Lloris absent because of a knee injury.

Harry officially became a vice-captain under Hugo at the start of the 2015/16 season and has generally skippered the side whenever Hugo hasn’t played since, including for a sustained spell from October to January this term after Hugo suffered a dislocated elbow. Harry is also recognised as captain of the England national team and led the Three Lions on their epic adventure to the World Cup semi-finals in Russia in 2018.

Jan Vertonghen

Long-serving defender Jan Vertonghen was officially named as one of our vice-captains alongside Harry Kane at the start of the 2015/16 season. The reliable centre-half, who can also operate at left-back, was three years into his Spurs tenure at that point and had already led the team out on a small handful of occasions.

His first time as our captain was in a 2-0 Europa League win away to FC Sheriff in Moldova in October, 2013, in which he scored, before he wore the armband in the Premier League for the first time later that season during a comprehensive 4-0 triumph at Newcastle in February, 2014. Belgium’s record international appearance-maker and a 12-time skipper of his country, Jan captained our side in January this year during a three-week period in which Hugo Lloris’ and Harry Kane’s long-term injuries overlapped and both remained sidelined. He was also our skipper for the most recent home game against Norwich City in the FA Cup, where he again marked the occasion with a goal, although we went on to exit the competition on penalties.

Eric Dier

Versatile defensive player Eric Dier is the only one of the seven players on this list not to have captained us in the Premier League this season. With us since the summer of 2014, the England international – who has once more found a home at centre-back this season after previously operating in the holding midfield role – has prior experience of leading the team out in cup competitions during the 2016/17 campaign, first doing so in a League Cup tie at Liverpool in October, 2016, but was handed the armband for the first time this term when we went to Colchester United in the third round of the Carabao Cup in September, where we lost on penalties.

Subsequently, Eric was selected to be our skipper when we went to Bayern Munich on matchday six in this season’s Champions League group stage. Already assured of a place in the next round, Jose Mourinho made a number of changes to the team and Eric was captain for what turned out to be a 3-1 defeat at the Allianz Arena.

Ben Davies

With Hugo Lloris, Harry Kane and Jan Vertonghen all absent from the team for our visit to Goodison Park to take on Everton on 3 November this season, we saw a ‘first-time’ captain in the form of Ben Davies. The dependable Welsh international left-back had never previously skippered club or country, but had no problem leading the team in a 1-1 draw that was ultimately overshadowed by a serious injury to Everton’s Andre Gomes. Thankfully, Gomes has now recovered and returned to action for the Toffees prior to the outbreak of coronavirus.

“It was really special, I didn’t really expect it but I’m proud to play for this club and I’m proud to wear the armband,” Ben reflected afterwards on Spurs TV.

Toby Alderweireld

Another reliable figure at the heart of our defence, Toby Alderweireld was handed the responsibility of captaining the team for the first time when we hosted Liverpool at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 11 January this year. With both Hugo Lloris and Harry Kane injured and Jan Vertonghen on the bench, Jose Mourinho gave the armband to the experienced Belgian international for the game.

Sadly, despite a valiant effort against the runaway league leaders, we slipped to a 1-0 defeat via Roberto Firmino’s first-half goal.

Harry Winks

At 24 years old, Academy product Harry Winks became the latest player to skipper the first team when we took on Wolves at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 1 March this year – our most recent home game in the Premier League. With Hugo Lloris missing with a groin problem, Harry Kane still injured and both Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld on the bench – the latter having been captain against Liverpool a few weeks earlier – six times-capped England international Winksy took over responsibilities with the armband as he patrolled the central midfield areas.

“The manager told me before the game that I would be captain and it was a special moment,” he told Spurs TV after we twice led the match, only to lose 3-2. “I’ll look back at this as a really proud day for me and my family to captain Spurs and to have the opportunity to lead the players out was really nice, but to come away with a defeat nullifies that a little.”