Who Should Wear the Captain's Armband for Borussia Dortmund Next Season?

In today's world of football, the captain's armband is more of a symbol than anything else. The dominant skipper telling his team-mates what to do and being the main link between coaching staff and squad is a dying breed. In times of flat hierarchies, the captain is part of a group of players who lead the team.

While its role within the squad might have diminished over the years, the captaincy is still of special significance for many supporters. They project a great many things on the player wearing the armband. It's about identifying with the skipper and the skipper's identifying with the club.

Borussia Dortmund are likely to have a new captain next season, with incumbent Mats Hummels likely on his way to Bayern Munich.

There's some confusion about the Germany international's move back to his boyhood club, with the 27-year-old repeating on Wednesday that "everything is possible and nothing is decided yet," per MailOnline's Joe Strange, but a transfer still seems like the most probable outcome.

And even if Hummels doesn't leave in the summer, it would be at least debatable whether he'd still be the right man to wear the armband after openly flirting with the club's bitter rivals from Bavaria.

Assuming the defender isn't be Dortmund's skipper next season, there are a number of candidates to take his place.

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His deputy, Marco Reus, might have the inside track toward full-time captaincy. Second in line since the 2014/15 season, the Germany international has captained his team nine times across competitions so far. Eight of those games came in the current campaign, with the Black and Yellows winning all but one.

Reus may not be the most vocal of leaders, but that doesn't have to be a bad thing. As Jacob Steinberg wrote for the Guardian, "Not every captain has to shout. Bellowing can fall on deaf ears, especially when it comes from the wrong voice." 

Giving the attacking midfielder the armband would be a sign of appreciation for his continued loyalty to Dortmund, sending quite the message after Hummels' departure, should it come to that. One thing that speaks against Reus as the captain, however, is his body language. When he's not on his game, the 26-year-old's head drops far too often.

Bypassing the vice-captain might be a difficult decision to make for head coach Thomas Tuchel, who will select the skipper in the summer, but it could be the right move.

In left-back Marcel Schmelzer and defensive midfielder-turned-centre-back Sven Bender, two more natural candidates have emerged in recent months. Both have this year signed contract extensions keeping them at the club until 2021.

The Westfalenstadion crowd cheered Schmelzer after the 5-1 win over Wolfsburg on Saturday, in what could be considered their vote for next season, as YellowWallPod.com's Lewis Ambrose relayed:

If Hummels leaves the club in the summer, the 28-year-old Schmelzer would be Dortmund's longest-serving outfield player alongside Neven Subotic, who's been linked with a move away himself, per Reviersport's Sebastian Wessling.

Sporting director Michael Zorc, a Dortmund captain for nine years himself, called Schmelzer "a real Borussia lad" when the club announced the left-back's contract extension: "He totally identifies with the club. He is very highly regarded on a sporting level and this season he has made another step forward."

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Bender, meanwhile, also figures to be in the mix. Chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke praised the versatile 27-year-old when he signed his new deal in February, saying he "possesses an unquestionable sporting talent and is an extremely important unifying figure." Zorc added that "Sven plays with intransigence and exemplary fairness. For many years he has been a valuable asset to our team, as a player and a man!"

If the decision were to come down to Schmelzer and Bender, the decisive factor could be that the former is a guaranteed starter, while Bender has been part of a rotation in the heart of defence, although that could change should Hummels leave.

Whomever Tuchel chooses, Dortmund's supporters should feel good about their next captain. All three candidates have proved to be loyal players who identify with the club and its core values. That's all a captain truly needs in this day and age.

Lars Pollmann is a Featured Columnist writing on Borussia Dortmund. He also writes for YellowWallPod.com. You can follow him on Twitter.