Neuer took over captaincy of Bayern in 2017, although injury limited his opportunities last term. - © © gettyimages / Sebastian Widmann
Neuer took over captaincy of Bayern in 2017, although injury limited his opportunities last term. - © © gettyimages / Sebastian Widmann

Manuel Neuer, Marco Reus and the Bundesliga’s captains for 2018/19

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The 2018/19 Bundesliga season gets underway on Friday 24 August, but who will be leading their teams out for the new campaign?

Bayern Munich:Manuel Neuer

bundesliga.com introduces the 18 captains skippering their clubs.

Captain for both club and country, Germany’s No.1 begins his second season as Bayern’s on-field leader. His first with the armband, however, was limited to just three league appearances because of a broken foot, with Thomas Müller often deputising. Neuer, though, is now fit and ready to lead the record champions to yet more potential Bundesliga glory.

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Hoffenheim: Kevin Vogt

Last season Julian Nagelsmann allowed his squad to choose their captain. This time the armband has been handed from Eugen Polanski to Kevin Vogt, who wore it in all but four Bundesliga games last season in any case.

RB Leipzig: Willi Orban

Even at 25 Orban is not in fact the youngest skipper in the Bundesliga this season as he enters his fourth year with Leipzig, but he is rather experienced in the role. After joining from Kaiserslautern in 2015, he was handed the armband full time last season.

- © imago / Avanti

VfB Stuttgart: Christian Gentner

The longest-serving captain in this year’s Bundesliga, Gentner has led Stuttgart since 2013. Apart from a three-year spell away at Wolfsburg, the 32-year-old has been with VfB since 1999 and currently sits 10th for Bundesliga appearances at the club.

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Borussia Mönchengladbach: Lars Stindl

Following five years at Hannover, Germany international Stindl arrived at Gladbach in 2015. Just a year later he was named club captain after the retirement of Martin Stranzl.

- © imago / Michael Weber

Hertha Berlin:Vedad Ibisevic

Ibisevic’s story mirrors that of Stindl. The Bosnian moved to Berlin from Stuttgart in 2015, originally on loan, and when he made his move permanent ahead of 2016/17 he was named captain by Pal Dardai.

- © DFL DEUTSCHE FUSSBALL LIGA

Augsburg: Daniel Baier

The only player to feature in every Bundesliga season for Augsburg, Baier has been with the Fuggerstädter for the best part of a decade. Following the departure of Paul Verheagh in the summer of 2017, Baier was named club captain and will now lead the side into a second campaign.

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Hannover: Waldemar Anton

If you're good enough, you're old enough. That certainly rings true for Anton who, at 22, goes into the 2018/19 season as the youngest captain in the Bundesliga. The Uzbekistan-born defender has certainly earned the armband, having stuck with his boyhood club through thick and thin down the years: relegation in 2016, promotion in 2017 and last term's 13th-placed finish. Pirmin Schwegler assumes the role of able deputy.

- © imago / Jan Huebner

Mainz: Niko Bungert

Going into his 11th season with the 05ers, Bungert has been club captain since 2016 but missed the whole of last season through injury. Fellow centre-back Stefan Bell deputised for him in 2017/18.

- © gettyimages / Christof Koepsel

Wolfsburg: Josuha Guilavogui

Frenchman Guilavogui has become a key man for the Wolves since his arrival from Spanish side Atletico Madrid in 2014 on an initial loan. A total of 105 Bundesliga appearances and six goals later and the 27-year-old midfielder has been named Wolfsburg's captain by coach Bruno Labbadia, with goalkeeper Koen Casteels and defender Robin Knoche as vice-captains.

Fortuna Düsseldorf: Oliver Fink

One of the club’s longest-serving players, 36-year-old Fink has been with Fortuna since 2009 and their captain since 2016. It’s the midfielder’s second crack at the Bundesliga as he enters the latter stages of his career.