As a former sports data director, I’ve watched this moment unfold not as drama—but as a systemic shift. Lewandowski’s captaincy wasn’t taken; it was retired, like a well-calibrated algorithm reaching its endpoint. Zelinski steps in not with fanfare, but with the quiet authority of someone who understands that leadership is measured in presence, not noise. Two critical matches loom. This isn’t about headlines—it’s about patterns.