West Ham United manager David Moyes has praised Kurt Zouma’s qualities and confirmed the France international will captain the Hammers this season.
Zouma has worn the armband in each of the Irons’ opening four Premier League fixtures, leading the team to three wins, a draw and to fourth place in the table ahead of Saturday’s visit of champions Manchester City to London Stadium.
The 28-year-old has become a hugely influential and popular member of the squad since he joined the Irons from Chelsea in August 2021. He has also excelled on the pitch, scoring four goals in 68 appearances and playing an important role in West Ham’s success in the Premier League and European football, starting the UEFA Europa Conference League final victory over Fiorentina in Prague in June.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Moyes said: “Kurt will continue as captain. He’s done a good job. We’ve won three and drawn one of our opening four games, so he will remain as captain.
“We have a strong group of leaders at the Club. We have Angelo Ogbonna, Aaron Cresswell, Łukasz Fabiański, Michail Antonio and now James Ward-Prowse has come in and they’re all senior players who know what’s required and how we do things. They’ve all stepped up and will be a massive help to Kurt, as will Mark Noble who is around the place as well.”
Zouma succeeds Declan Rice, who captained the side last season before departing for Arsenal, and joins a prestigious group of 36 players who have filled the role since Scottish defender Robert Stevenson was named the first captain of Thames Ironworks FC in 1895.
Walter Tranter, Harry Bradshaw and Charlie Dove also captained Ironworks before the Club was reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. The honour of being West Ham’s first captain went to another Scot, half-back Roddy McEachrane, who had moved to east London at the age of 20 to work at the Thames Ironworks & Shipbuilding Company.
Since then, 31 other players have been appointed as West Ham United’s Club captain, while many more have worn the armband in an unofficial capacity, including Englishmen, Scots, Welshmen, Irishmen, an Italian and Australian.
The longest-serving captain was Bobby Moore, who led the Hammers for 13 seasons between 1961-74, winning the FA Cup and European Cup Winners’ Cup. His successor, Billy Bonds, was skipper from the spring of 1974 until 1984, winning two FA Cups and the Second Division title.
West Ham’s first non-British born captain was Irishman Noel Cantwell, the Cork-born full-back who led the Irons to the Second Division title in his first season as skipper, 1957/58, while the first born outside the British Isles was not Paolo Di Canio, but Steve Potts, who was born in Hartford, Connecticut in the United States.
Canning Town-born Mark Noble captained the Club from 2015 until his retirement in 2022, succeeding current first-team coach Kevin Nolan, before handing over to fellow Academy graduate Rice.
Everyone at West Ham United would like to congratulate Kurt on his appointment and wish him the best for the 2023/24 season.
