Captain material: Arsenal star who 'often sulked' is unrecognisable now

Tom Weber

• 15 Nov 2025 13:01 CST
• 3 min read

News

Arsenal star Leandro Trossard has enjoyed a hugely positive character transformation, according to his former coach.

The Belgium international is currently in the conversation to become his country's new captain due to the absences of Kevin de Bruyne and Youri Tielemans.

Trossard is one of the most experienced members of the Red Devils' squad, and the Arsenal attacker is one of the potential candidates to take charge of the side while De Bruyne and Tielemans are unavailable.

The 30-year-old has been in good form this season, scoring four goals and providing four assists. In the summer, it initially looked as though his Arsenal career could be over, but despite not being a guaranteed starter, Mikel Arteta was desperate to keep him around.

Trossard was handed a pay rise by Arsenal to convince him to stay, and talks over a proper extension are expected to take place in the not-too-distant future.

Trossard is captain material now

Intriguingly, according to Trossard's former Genk coach Peter Maes, his development into captain material was anything but certain when he was younger. In fact, the winger 'often sulked in training' when he didn't get what he wanted.

“At that time, I didn’t immediately see Leandro as a true captain," Maes told HBVL when discussing Belgium's captaincy. "Because he’s primarily someone who focuses on his own game.

“At least when I was training him. He wasn’t a regular starter yet, and he often sulked in training. Perhaps he’s evolved since then, because he’s doing a very good job at Arsenal now.

“It’s true that Leandro is a strong personality. In that respect, he’s a candidate to be captain of the Red Devils, especially considering everyone who’s absent. He believes in himself deeply and can convey that belief to the rest of the team.”

The FootballTransfers app

Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.

The FootballTransfers app is available in the Apple App Store. Download here:

•App Store