Ranking every Southampton FC captain from the last 20 years from worst to best | OneFootball

FLW ranks all of Southampton's captains in the past ten years

Southampton have had some incredible players over the years, especially in their early Premier League days, where they managed four top-eight finishes in a row.

Indeed, between 2013 and 2017, Southampton supporters experienced a real golden age at the club.

An 8th-placed finish in 2013/14 was followed by a 7th-placed finish the year after, as the Saints climbed to 6th in 2015/16, and then back to 8th in 2016/17.

The likes of Sadio Mane, Dusan Tadic, and Victor Wanyama donned the red and white stripes on the South Coast during that period, though none of those was appointed official club captain of the Saints.

Over the past 20 years, that privilege has only been designated to a select few, as FLW takes a look at each player to have captained Southampton in that time and ranks them from worst to best in terms of peak ability, not necessarily their impact during their time with the armband.

11 ? ? Michael Svensson

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Swedish defender Michael Svensson spent his earlier years playing in his native country for IFK Varnamo and Halmstads before venturing to France with Troyes in 2001.

He'd spent one year in France before completing a £2 million move to Southampton in 2002, penning a four-year deal on the South Coast.

Nicknamed 'The Killer' for his tough-tackling and no-nonsense approach, Svensson earned cult hero status for Southampton during his spell with the club, although he managed just 87 appearances across all competitions for the Saints, with injuries diminishing his minutes.

He was named club captain for the 2008/09 season, but managed just four appearances before retiring in 2009.

10 ? ? Dean Hammond

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Dean Hammond came through the ranks of Brighton and Hove Albion and would make over 150 appearances for the Seagulls before joining Southampton in 2009.

With the Saints, Hammond became a regular, making 49 appearances in all competitions during his first year at the club in League One, and captained the club to back-to-back promotions to the Premier League from 2010 to 2012.

The midfielder couldn't retain his place in the top flight, however, and subsequently returned to Brighton on loan before spells with Leicester City and Sheffield United brought his playing days to an end in 2016.

Over 200 appearances in League One and just shy of the same number in the Championship, Hammond was an excellent EFL midfielder, and it's a testament to the calibre on this list that he takes bottom spot.

9 ? ? Kelvin Davis

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Coming through the ranks at Luton Town, English shot-stopper Kelvin Davis had, by all accounts, an excellent career, and one many would be envious of.

After breaking into the first-team at Kenilworth Road, Davis made the move to Wimbledon FC in 1999 and then Ipswich Town in 2003, becoming a regular in the second tier before being made Sunderland's number one in the Premier League during the 2005/06 campaign.

He'd leave the Black Cats after just one year to join Southampton for around £2 million, becoming their number one in the Championship, helping them earn promotion from League One, and then the Championship up to the Premier League, sharing the captaincy with the aforementioned Hammond.

Davis would go on to make 301 appearances across all competitions for the Saints, eventually losing his place to Artur Boruc and Paulo Gazzaniga before retiring in 2016.

8 ? ? Jack Stephens

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Current club captain and centre-back Jack Stephens came through the ranks at Plymouth Argyle, but has spent virtually his entire professional career contracted to Southampton, joining the club for around £150k in 2011 after five appearances for the Pilgrims.

Loan spells with Swindon Town, Middlesbrough, Coventry City, and Bournemouth have disrupted his spells at St Mary's, and despite over 230 appearances across all competitions for the club, the 32-year-old has never nailed down a consistent spot at the back for the Saints.

With over 150 Premier League appearances to his name, Stephens has proven to be a solid option in defence for Southampton, but given he has never nailed down a place during his spell with the club, it's hard to rank him higher than those who come next.

7 ? ? Steven Davis

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Northern Irish midfielder Steven Davis first moved to England with Aston Villa in 2004, with whom he would make a century of appearances before spells with Fulham and subsequently Rangers followed.

After four years in Scotland between 2008 and 2012, Davis made the move to Southampton for just £800k after rejecting a new deal at Ibrox, where he would quickly become an integral figure in the middle of the park.

For the next five seasons, Davis would make at least 32 Premier League appearances per year, contributing to one of their best modern eras.

Though he would only become captain in 2017, spending one year with the armband before returning to Ibrox, the 136-time capped Northern Irishman was a classy figure during his time at St Mary's and could have very easily placed higher.

6 ? ? Claus Lundekvam

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Ranking is becoming increasingly difficult, as next up is Norwegian defender Claus Lundekvam.

Lundekvam first began his professional career in his native Norway with Brann, before making the move to the English South Coast in 1996, instantly becoming a regular in the Premier League.

From there, Lundekvam contributed to one of Southampton's most successful seasons in history during the 2002/03 campaign, finishing 8th in the Premier League and reaching the FA Cup final.

Captaining the club throughout the mid 2010s, the Norwegian wore the armband right up until his retirement in 2008, making over 400 appearances for the Saints, with 290 of those coming in the Premier League, and trails only John Arne Riise for most English top-flight appearances for a Norwegian.

5 ? ? James Ward-Prowse

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Coming through the ranks at Southampton, Portsmouth-born James Ward-Prowse, although he hasn't played for Southampton since 2023, is synonymous with his time with the Saints.

He'd watch as a youngster as the club rose through the divisions to the Premier League, and quickly became a regular in the side shortly after, with the 2013/14 season being a real breakthrough year for the Englishman.

410 appearances for Southampton across all competitions later, Ward-Prowse joined West Ham United in the summer of 2023 for a reported £30 million, which has seen spells with Nottingham Forest and Burnley follow.

With 422 Premier League appearances to his name at 31, there is hope that the 11-capped former England international could rejoin his boyhood club one day, as one of their greatest ever modern-day players.

4 ? ? Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg

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The quality just keeps increasing, and a few of the players around here could very easily be swapped, but just topping Ward-Prowse, in our opinion, is Danish midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

Hojbjerg came through the ranks at Bayern Munich, and after loan spells with Augsburg and Schalke, joined Southampton in the summer of 2016 for around £12.8 million.

The Dane initially struggled to stamp his name into the starting fold at St Mary's, but his game increased year-on-year, with his presence in the middle of the park imperative to Southampton avoiding the drop a couple of times during a tricky period for the club.

He'd wear the captain's armband between 2018 and 2020 before moving to Tottenham Hotspur for around £15 million.

250 Premier League appearances to his name, the Dane has been playing for Marseille since 2024, and continues to operate at an extremely high level.

3 ? ? Adam Lallana

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The second player to come through the ranks at Southampton after Ward-Prowse, Adam Lallana announced himself as a first-team player with the Saints much sooner than the Englishman.

The midfielder played pivotal roles in Southampton's promotion from League One and the Championship, contributing to 19 goals and 21 assists across those two campaigns, before becoming a regular in the Premier League on the South Coast.

After 265 appearances for his boyhood club, he'd join Liverpool for around £25 million in the summer of 2014, and had injuries not disrupted his time on Merseyside, he would have almost certainly made a boatload more appearances than his 178 for the Reds.

Capped 34 times in a highly competitive era for the England national team, Lallana would wind his career down with Brighton and Hove Albion and then Southampton once more before retiring in 2025, as injuries prevented him from having an even more successful career than he did.

One Champions League, one Premier League, one Club World Cup, and one UEFA Super Cup, Lallana had a wonderful career, but it could have been so much more.

2 ? ? Jose Fonte

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Portuguese defender Jose Fonte had an interesting journey to the top, spending his early days bouncing between clubs in his native country before joining Crystal Palace on loan in 2007, which then became permanent the following summer.

Two years at Selhurst Park led Southampton to part ways with £1.2 million to bring the towering centre-back to the South Coast whilst in League One, as Fonte, alongside each of Lallana, Davis, and Hammond, played a huge role in their rise from the third tier to the Premier League.

Fonte would become a regular at the back for the Saints in the top flight, captaining the club between 2014 and 2017, one of the most successful periods in their history, as well as lifting Euro 2016, playing the full game in the final against France.

Spells with West Ham and Dalian Yafang in China preceded a renaissance in France with Lille, winning the top-flight trophy, before returning to Portugal with Braga and Casa Pia.