Matthias Sammer said on the sidelines of VfB Stuttgart's Champions League match against Atletico Madrid that he would have chosen a different type of captain than Deniz Undav. The comment came during his work as a pundit for Prime Video, with Undav having taken over the armband from Atakan Karazor in the summer.
Sammer's view on the captaincy
Sammer said: "I would always choose a different type."
He also said: "But that's my way of thinking. That's why, in football, there are often many ways to reach the goal."
Sammer said he preferred players who were "a little more" at the "centre" of the game as captain. He named no names and said his view was purely subjective.
What Sammer and Kramer said about Undav
Sammer said Undav was "completely authentic" and "extremely well received in this team". He said that made it "understandable to an extent" that Undav wore the armband.
Christoph Kramer said: "I also think times have changed a little. Those really strong characters we like to see as captain, I don't even know whether there are that many of them, or whether they always have a guaranteed starting place."
Kramer also said: "And, as Matthias rightly says, he's also very, very authentic. That's important for a team too. It's not as though I'm saying: 'Blimey, how can he be captain?!'"
Undav's role and recent numbers
After his World Cup trip with the Germany national team, Undav took over the captaincy from Atakan Karazor in the summer. In 10 competitive matches since then, he has scored one goal and set up four more.
Undav has yet to register a goal contribution in the Bundesliga. VfB have taken six points from their first six league games and most recently lost 1-0 away to HSV.
Champions League position
In the Champions League, VfB have seven points after a 1-1 draw against Atletico.