Adelaide United have announced that goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic will continue in the role of captain for the 2013-14 Hyundai A-League season.
Adelaide United have announced that goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic will continue in the role of captain for the 2013-14 Hyundai A-League season.
Galekovic, 32, assumed the position midway through 2011-12, taking over from Jon McKain.
His future at Adelaide was in doubt after he launched a scathing attack on the club's hierarchy at the end of last season, blaming them for the mid-season departure of coach John Kosmina.
However, the Australia international now looks set to lead the Reds out in the new campaign, with new coach Josep Gombau revealing he left it up to the playing group to decide on their on-field leader.
"I think he is one of the most important players in the team for his experience and for his knowledge, and for the style of person that he is," Gombau said.
"When I arrived at the club what I wanted was that the players can choose and with everybody we arrived to an agreement on who they wanted to represent the players on and off the field, and he was the player.
"He has the confidence of everybody and this is the best, that the players can choose who they want to represent the team.
"After two-and-a-half months here, my feeling is that he is a person that is involved with everybody, he is a person that helps everybody and that takes care of the young players at the club."
The typically humble Galekovic, who has regularly wowed supporters and observers with his presence and reflex saves in A-League and AFC Champions League action, thanked his colleagues for endorsing him to carry on as skipper.
"It's an honour to be captain of the club again ... especially coming from the players, it's good pressure, they see you as the captain and you have to perform week in week out so I'm looking forward to it," he said.
"In the end the captain is just the one that has got the armband and flips the coin at the start, but we've got a lot of guys like Cassio, Nigel Boogaard, Jonny McKain, Marcelo Carrusca who are leaders of our team."