“I’ve got to stand for my rights” – Kyle Walker issues strong response to Man City criticism and defends captaincy legacy | OneFootball

Former Manchester City captain Kyle Walker has hit back at critics who pointed the finger at him for his role as captain at the Etihad Stadium last season in particular.

The England international’s departure to AC Milan on loan in January was one of the most notable moments of City’s turbulent 2024/25 campaign, with Walker openly admitting at the time that he needed regular football.

However, questions have continued to swirl around whether his exit mid-season contributed to City’s struggles, particularly as Pep Guardiola’s side dropped out of the Premier League title race and fought instead for Champions League qualification.

Walker, who captained City during a transitional period, replaced İlkay Gündoğan as skipper at the start of the 2023/24 season, leading the team through highs – including their FIFA Club World Cup triumph – but also through difficult stretches defined by injuries and inconsistent form.

His leadership, therefore, has remained a divisive subject among supporters, some of whom believe the armband should have gone to an alternative senior figure within Pep Guardiola’s dressing room, or a longer-term solution to the vacant armband such as Rodri or Ruben Dias.

The 35-year-old has now taken the opportunity to reflect on both criticism and his decision to leave the Etihad midway through a challenging season, providing a candid insight into the pressures of captaincy at one of the most demanding clubs in the world.

Speaking in a new and exclusive interview with The Telegraph’s Jason Burt, Kyle Walker has hit back at those who he feels pointed the finger at him for his role in Manchester City’s difficult 2024/25 campaign.

“I wasn’t playing,” Walker initially responded when asked why he wanted to leave the club at the midway stage of the campaign. “I have the utmost respect for the Manchester City fans. They have been incredible, incredible.

“We’ve given them fantastic moments and they gave us some fantastic moments – we’re losing 2-0 to [Aston] Villa on the last game of the season [they won 3-2 to dramatically win the title in 2022] and not one person left that stadium because they still believed.

“True fans who stuck with us through good and bad.” Walker added, “But I felt, I don’t want to say scapegoat because I don’t want to bring out the violins. But I was the captain and the team wasn’t doing well.

“There were big players missing in big periods in that season and I felt just like I was getting…not blamed. I won’t say blamed but I felt I was the excuse because I was the captain.”

The veteran defender was further asked about some supporters of City, and perhaps figures within the club, not wanting him to lead the side anymore, to which he said, “I’m not going to go into too much detail on those conversations. But I wasn’t prepared to give that up.

“I’ve got to stand for my rights and I think I earned being the club captain and I thought I did a good job leading the team to the fourth Premier League.”

Offering further insight into his feelings around his exit for Serie A in the January market, Walker said, “I wasn’t playing football and I wanted to go out and play. And when AC Milan came and Zlatan [Ibrahimovic, the club’s senior adviser] gave me the call, can you turn that opportunity down when you are sat on the bench?

“Should I have left the team, looking back at it? Probably not. I probably should have stuck by the lads and came through the sticky patch together. But sometimes, selfishly, you look at yourself and you kind of think ‘OK, well, let me go and experience something different’.”

Kyle Walker’s latest reflections will inevitably fuel further debate among Manchester City supporters over how his captaincy should be remembered, despite his remarkable performances at right-back following his arrival from Tottenham in 2017.

While some fans will applaud his honesty and acknowledge the sacrifices made in his leadership role, others may feel he abandoned the squad at a crucial moment.

With Pep Guardiola now ushering in a new generation of leaders at the Etihad Stadium, Walker’s exit to Burnley on a permanent agreement this summer represents not only the end of an era but also a symbolic moment of transition.