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Juggernauts Schalke and Werder Bremen have dropped into Bundesliga 2, joining a host of other domestic giants like Hamburg, Nuremberg and Fortuna Düsseldorf, but Who are the Bundesliga 2 captains for the 2021/22 season?
In this feature, we introduce the 18 captains in Germany’s second division…
Erzgebirge Aue: Martin Männel
Goalkeeper Martin Männel is the longest-serving player at Aue, having joined the club in 2008. The 33-year-old has worn the captain’s armband since the 2015/16 season.
Werder Bremen: Ömer Toprak
New Werder coach Markus Anfang has allowed his team to pick their new captain following the departure of Niklas Moisander, and they’ve selected centre-back Ömer Toprak. The 32-year-old is vastly experienced with over 260 Bundesliga appearances. His vice-captains are Maximilian Eggestein and Leonardo Bittencourt.
Darmstadt: Fabian Holland
Left-back Fabian Holland will once again lead Darmstadt into the new season. The 31year-old featured 29 times last team and looks also to have the trust of new coach Torsten Lieberknecht.
Dynamo Dresden: Sebastian Mai
Coach Alexander Schmidt will again turn to Sebastian Mai as his on-field leader for promoted Dresden. The big centre-back wore the armband last season as well, but injuries limited the 27-year-old to just 25 appearances. He’ll now also come up against his younger brother Lukas, on loan at Bremen from Bayern Munich.
Fortuna Düsseldorf: Adam Bodzek
Adam Bodzek is Düsseldorf’s oldest and longest-serving player and will wear the armband for the second year in a row. The 35-year-old midfielder originally joined in 2011 from Duisburg and is now going into his 12th season with Fortuna. His current contract runs until the end of this campaign.
Hamburg: Sebastian Schonlau
Sebastian Schonlau only joined HSV this summer from Paderborn, where he was skipper last season, but the 26-year-old centre-back has already been named captain at the Volksparkstadion by new coach Tim Walter. Former skipper Tim Leibold will serve as his deputy.
Hannover: Marcel Franke
Marcel Franke has been named the new captain at Hannover. The 28-year-old central defender joined H96 from Norwich City in 2019 and is the head of the team council that includes Simon Falette, Mike Franz, Martin Hansen, Dominik Kaiser and Hendrik Weydandt.
Heidenheim: Patrick Mainka
This season sees a big change at Heidenheim following the departure of Marc Schnatterer after over 450 appearances for the club. The winger had been captain there since 2011 in the third division. Coach Frank Schmidt has named Patrick Mainka, one of the previous vice-captains, as the new on-field leader. The 26-year-old centre-back’s deputies are fellow defenders Norman Theuerkauf and Oliver Hüsing.
Ingolstadt: Stefan Kutschke
Stefan Kutschke has captained Ingolstadt in their third division campaigns over the last two years, with his 13 goals last term playing a considerable part in their Bundesliga 2 return, via the play-off. The 32-year-old striker will skipper the club he first joined in 2017 once again this season.
Karlsruhe: Jerome Gondorf
Jerome Gondorf succeeds departed David Pisot as captain in Karlsruhe. The 33-year-old midfielder, who has the experience of over 100 Bundesliga appearances, returned to his hometown club in summer 2020.
Holstein Kiel: Hauke Wahl
Hauke Wahl has been skippering the club on Germany’s northern coast since 2019. The 27-year-old was one of the best centre-backs in the league last season as Kiel only missed out on promotion in the play-off. The Holstein captain also scored an added-time equaliser as they knocked out Bayern Munich in the second round of the DFB Cup.
Nuremberg: Enrico Valentini
The Nuremberg captain is local boy Enrico Valentini. The 32-year-old right-back already wore the armband last season and led his team out in 30 games.
Paderborn: Ron Schallenberg
Ron Schallenberg is the youngest captain in Bundesliga 2 after the 22-year-old homegrown player was handed the armband with Paderborn this season. New head coach Lukas Kwasniok commented: “Ron identifies 100 per cent with the club, and we need more players who take on responsibility on the pitch.” His deputy is new signing and fellow midfielder Marco Schuster.
Jahn Regensburg: Benedikt Gimber
Benedikt Gimber goes into his second year as Regensburg captain in his fourth season with the club. The 24-year-old midfielder only managed 22 appearances last term due to injury.
Hansa Rostock: Markus Kolke
Goalkeeper Markus Kolke remains captain at promoted Rostock as he goes into his first season in Bundesliga 2. “It’s a dream come true for me. When I came here, I said my goal is to go up to Bundesliga 2 with Hansa. It’s amazing that’s now happened,” said the 29year-old, who’s been with the club since January 2018.
St. Pauli: Philipp Ziereis
Central defender Philipp Ziereis, with 133 competitive outings for St. Pauli, has been named captain with defensive teammate James Lawrence his vice-captain this season. “In Philipp Ziereis and James Lawrence, we have two players who lead from the front on the pitch, not only by the way they play, but also in terms of their personality, and also live our values in the dressing room and on the training ground,” said coach Timo Schultz.
Sandhausen: Dennis Diekmeier
Dennis Diekmeier is still working towards his comeback from an ankle injury that saw him miss the nervy ending to last season. When he’ll return isn’t yet clear, but the 31-year-old remains the club captain as Sandhausen go into their 10th campaign in Bundesliga 2.
Schalke: Danny Latza
Danny Latza was born in Gelsenkirchen and came through the Schalke academy, making his Bundesliga debut with the club in 2008. The 31-year-old midfielder has now come home after leaving Mainz, where he was previously captain, and taken on the armband from Omar Mascarell.
