Jarrod Bowen appeared to give Konstantinos Mavropanos his seal of approval after the West Ham United defender acted as the club’s captain for the first time in their FA Cup win over Burton Albion.
Bowen, of course, is usually the man who wears the armband for West Ham United, having been named skipper following the departure of Kurt Zouma in the summer of 2024.
However, Bowen was rested for West Ham’s win over Burton in the FA Cup on Saturday, a tight game on a freezing cold day in Staffordshire sealed by a moment of magic from the in-form Crysencio Summerville.
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Adama Traore of West Ham United is challenged by Sebastian Revan of Burton Albion during the Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round match between Burton Albion and West Ham United at Pirelli Stadium on February 14, 2026 in Burton-upon-Trent, England.
As such, the honour was bestowed upon Mavropanos, who posted on Instagram to share his pride.
He captioned a collage of images from the game: “Job done. On to the next round.
Proud and grateful to wear the armband today for this great club! Thank you for your support.”
Bowen responded with two love heart eye emojis.
West Ham United captain Konstantinos Mavropanos heads the ball during their FA Cup against Burton.
Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Konstantinos Mavropanos further explains his pride at West Ham United captaincy
Speaking to West Ham’s official website and wearing a look of pride, he said: “It’s an absolute honour to captain this Club, this team. It’s a special day for me as well.”
Mavropanos has improved at West Ham in recent weeks, with supporters here in east London treated to some strong displays from the Greek international.
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Though there’s still a long way to go, Nuno Espirito Santo’s defence has significantly improved over the past few games.
That has largely been put down to the appointment of Paco Jemez as a first team coach. The Spaniard arrived on January 15, 2026, and there have since been six games across all competitions.
Five of those have been in the Premier League. Over the course of them, they have conceded six goals, which is the seventh best defensive record in the division. Mavropanos has played a big role in that.
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A general view of the FA Cup trophy at Wembley.
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Konstantinos Mavropanos’s leadership style explained
Mavropanos had led by example with some of his recent West Ham performances, having been praised during the crucial Premier League win over Tottenham last month by pundit Matt Upson.
At the time, ex-West Ham defender Upson said: “[Mavropanos] has been sharp today. He’s had a lot of criticism, but he’s dealt with everything coming into that box.”
Though Bowen will take the armband again for Saturday’s clash with Bournemouth, Mavropanos can still offer help on the leadership front.
Speaking to The Athletic back in 2023, former coach Theodoros Antonopoulos talked about how the defender was always a captain at youth level, having established himself as a quiet leader.
Having worked with Mavropanos at his boyhood club Apollon Smyrnis: “He was the captain in all his age groups and a quiet leader. All the big teams wanted to sign him throughout the years, but he was loyal to Apollon, it was his dream to play for them.”
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