Danilo Cataldi is reportedly upset after Lazio decided to make Mattia Zaccagni the new club captain, forcing an intervention from president Claudio Lotito.
The Biancocelesti needed to find a new squad captain after previous incumbent Ciro Immobile left for Besiktas earlier this month, having taken over from Senad Lulic back in 2021. Speculation ran rife regarding the club’s next on-pitch leader.
Zaccagni confirmed on his social media that he’d been named the new Lazio captain for the 2024-25 season, wearing the armband in the 3-0 pre-season friendly win over Hansa Rostock on Saturday. Alessio Romagnoli was also considered an option to take on the honour.
Corriere della Sera (via TMW) details how Cataldi had hoped to be named Lazio captain after Immobile and even wore the armband during the retreat in Auronzo di Cadore, so was upset following the decision to hand it to Zaccagni.
Some players in the Biancocelesti squad expected the winger to refuse the honour in order to allow Cataldi to take it on, but this didn’t occur.
Lotito was forced to intervene and spoke closely to Cataldi, imploring him to take an example from Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro, who ‘always shows commitment without busting your balls’.