Sol Campbell during his lean, mean fat-free days at Newcastle
The 39-year-old, who won 79 international caps, including three as captain, said the Football Association and football fans are averse to the idea of a black or mixed-race captain for the full national side.
Sol Campbell: "I believe if I was white, I would have been England captain for more than 10 years. It's as simple as that.
"I think the FA wished I was white. I had the credibility, performance-wise, to be captain.
"I was consistently in the heart of the defence and I was club captain early on in my career.
"I don't think it will change because they don't want it to, and probably the majority of fans don't want it, either.
"It's all right to have black captains and mixed-race in the under-18s and under-21s but not for the full national side.
"There is a ceiling and although no one has ever said it, I believe it's made of glass."