Frank Lampard: Why He Should Replace John Terry Permanently as England's Captain

Frank Lampard called it his "proudest moment in an England shirt."

England hosted Spain for an international friendly on Saturday, and though the Three Lions claimed a famous 1-0 win over the world champions thanks to Lampard's headed goal, Lampard was actually talking about something else.

Speaking this week in the buildup to the game, Lampard was referring to England manager Fabio Capello's choice of stand-in captain. With regular captain John Terry out of the starting lineup, Capello needed a captain for the day.

Lampard got the armband and rewarded his manager's faith with a strong performance in Saturday's victory.

But it might not make any difference.

Capello has said that Terry will return as England captain against Sweden on Tuesday. And that's fine. That's his choice as England's manager.

But in light of the recent racism allegations against Terry, it's the wrong decision.

The right decision is to make Lampard captain permanently.

Here's why.

Innocent until proven guilty?

It's time for John Terry to go. He can remain on the England team, but his time as captain is over.

At least it should be.

England boss Fabio Capello says Terry is "innocent until proven guilty" of racism accusations. Maybe so, but Terry is guilty of being a distraction—to the team, to the coach and to himself.

Regardless of whether the accusations prove true, they've disrupted Chelsea's dressing room, England's team sheet and even Terry's play itself.

We've been here before, of course. Terry briefly lost the captaincy over that, and now it's time to make it permanent.

The affair served as a distraction then, and the racism row is serving as another distraction now.

Enough.

Who it shouldn't be: Part I

If we agree that Capello should replace Terry, it's time to start thinking about who should be the new captain.

First, though, it's best to decide who it shouldn't be.

We'll start from the back, where keeper Joe Hart has established himself as England's No. 1. Paul Robinson announced his international retirement last year, and Ben Foster said he'd only consider playing for England if Hart were injured.

There aren't many other candidates for England's No. 1 jersey. Robert Green, of World Cup infamy, plays in the Championship, and it's debatable whether he'll ever start again.

So Hart is a consistent starter with a good amount of experience. But England have plenty of better choices among field players. Cross him off the list.

Who it shouldn't be: Part II

It definitely shouldn't be Wayne Rooney. His stupid sending-off against Montenegro underlined the fact that his temperament isn't right for the job.

Besides, he'll miss the first three games of Euro 2012 because of that red card (England are appealing).

In defense, the options aren't quite as good. If we're eliminating Terry, we also need to eliminate Rio Ferdinand, who's too old, too slow and is struggling with fitness anyhow.

Elsewhere, Gary Cahill doesn't have enough experience, while the experienced Ashley Cole has never captained club or country.

The midfield presents several options, though none make perfect sense.

Neither Jack Wilshere nor Scott Parker are ready. Steven Gerrard is, and he has both the skill and experience, but he's too injury-prone.

That leaves Frank Lampard.

The Spain game

Lampard performed well against Spain, and not just because he scored a goal.

A 55th-minute Spain free kick, which Lampard headed away in England's box, presented a strong example: Lampard is committed, disciplined and hard-working.

It wasn't a one-match thing, either. Lampard works hard from box to box, covering more ground than almost any other player on the pitch.

Those traits are ideal for a captain.

Then there was the goal, a poacher's delight. Darren Bent did the work with a header off the post, but Lampard was in the right place to clean up the leftovers.

It was a strong all-around performance. Even at the age of 33, Lampard has plenty of those left in the tank.