Landmark Ireland Record Set As Nathan Collins Named Brentford Captain | Balls.ie

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Keith Andrews has entrusted Nathan Collins to take over the Brentford captaincy for the upcoming season, a major landmark in the Irishman's career.

Brentford captain Christian Norgaard completed a move last month to Premier League rivals Arsenal, leaving Andrews with his first major call to make as the Bees' manager.

With Collins having established himself as one of the first names on the Brentford team sheet in recent years, he was a natural choice for the role, and he was trusted with the responsibility by his new manager and compatriot Andrews.

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Speaking on the honour of being appointed Brentford captain, Nathan Collins said:

It's a massive honour to be captain of this great football club. There have been some great people and footballers before me.

I'm really excited by the challenge of this season and, with your support, it'll be a special campaign.

Collins' manager Andrews hailed Collins leadership abilities, saying that the decision to give him the armband was a "natural" one.

"He's always been a natural leader, he's gained a lot of experience considering the age that he is," Andrews told the Brentford website.

He's developed his professionalism to a new level because he's been involved in this environment for a couple of years and has learnt from some great people.

He communicates very well, he's got really good values, on and off the pitch, and, naturally, players gravitate towards him - he has respect from all the players and staff, which is a key attribute to have.

Burnley also announced their club captain for this season on Friday, with Josh Cullen taking the armband for the newly-promoted side.

With Cullen and Collins joining Seamus Coleman as Premier League captains for the upcoming season, a landmark not achieved by Ireland players in nearly 20 years has been reached.

The 2025-26 Premier League season will see three Irish club captains for the first time since the 2005-06 season.

In that 05-06 campaign, Kenny Cunningham, Matt Holland, and Gary Breen captained Birmingham City, Charlton, and Sunderland, respectively. Roy Keane began the season as Manchester United skipper before his infamous departure midway through the campaign.

It's a landmark achievement, after a period during which the average number of Irish players per Premier League campaign has continued to drop.

Ireland fans will hope that the appointment of Nathan Collins and Josh Cullen as Premier League club captains is an encouraging sign of brighter times ahead.

For Nathan Collins, this will surely be one of the proudest days of his career.