Captains’ tales

Every jersey tells a story. Most of the time, anyway – and certainly when it comes to VfB’s current home shirt, the design of which not only symbolises the bond between the Cannstatt club and the city of Stuttgart but brings together VfB’s century-old red hoop and the famous Steps of Stuttgart, the ‘Stuttgarter Stäffele’.

The jersey also highlights the club’s burning ambition on the pitch and its regional roots off it. The players – and in particular the club’s captains – wear it with pride. 

Stuttgart skippers: 23 captains since 1963 

As such, an entire section of the ‘Every Jersey Tells a Story’ exhibition, which was developed in association with main sponsor LBBW and is open to the public free of charge at the Schauspiel Stuttgart until Sunday 10 May 2026, has been dedicated to VfB’s skippers. The display features original shirts worn by Stuttgart captains, who led by example on the pitch and thus etched their names in the white and red history books. 

Twenty-three players have donned the armband since the Bundesliga was founded in 1963, including current skipper Atakan Karazor, whose 2025/26 home shirt is among the jerseys on display. “I’m happy and proud to be captain of this team,” said Karazor. “We’ve got some great characters in the squad. For me, it’s important that we stick together as a unit and keep an eye on team spirit. In Deniz Undav, I also have the best vice-captain you could wish for. The lads know they can always come to us.”

Karazor has been VfB’s skipper since 2024, having joined the club in summer 2019. The 29-year-old has made 225 competitive appearances for Stuttgart to date. 

Karazor on “love” for VfB 

“I’ve come to love the city, the club and the fans,” Karazor said recently. “I really love coming into the dressing room every day and enjoy working with the lads. We challenge each other, but we also support one other a great deal.” 

Karazor’s sentiments are guaranteed to be shared by other VfB players who have donned the armband down the years. The captains’ section in the ‘Every Jersey Tells a Story’ exhibition also features original tops worn by former skippers Karlheinz Förster, Guido Buchwald, Frank Verlaat, Krassimir Balakov and Fernando Meira. 

Apart from their designs, football jerseys also tell another much more important story; that of the sporting achievements accomplished in those shirts. Needless to say, Karazor and his team-mates are determined to ensure VfB’s current shirts are associated with a successful 2025/26 season for many years to come.