Maresca Backs Guehi to Become Man City Captain in the Future

 

Enzo Maresca says Marc Guehi has what it takes to captain Manchester City one day, even though the defender does not see himself as a leader.

Guehi captained Crystal Palace to a historic FA Cup win in 2025. He joined City in January and has been a regular in defence, first under Pep Guardiola and now under Maresca. He has played 90 minutes in every Premier League and Champions League game this season. Ruben Dias currently wears the armband.

Maresca spoke to TNT Sports and was full of praise. "It's very easy to speak about Marc, because he's a fantastic guy, fantastic human being," he said. "Very humble. Probably didn't see himself as a leader, but for us, he's one of the leaders."

He described a quieter style of leadership. "There are different kind of leaders. There are ones that need to talk more, he's quite a quiet leader. But he has all the characteristics to be a leader. He's one of the four captains, but for sure in the future he could be the captain."

Guehi's calm presence could matter even more as City deal with the fallout from their guilty verdict for breaching the Premier League's financial rules.

The England defender was modest about it all. "Things have moved so quickly," Guehi said. 

"I was speaking to someone, they said you've been at the football club for so long, but no it's only been seven or eight months. I'm grateful people see me in this light. It's a journey that's not just me, so many other people I have to give credit to. They're the main people helping me along this journey. Hopefully, I can help this club achieve many things."

He added: "It's funny, I don't see myself as a leader. It's always the opinions of others, and how they see me. I respect that massively. It's more just me being me, trying to set an example now the light is on me. As the years go by, I am trying to learn those little nuances to leadership which can be difficult, but it's a learning process and it's very enjoyable."