A good captain calls out their best friend the same way they’d call out the bench.

Authority only works when it is predictable. A captain who corrects the twelfth player and quietly skips their closest friend has not been kind to anyone, because the group now knows the standard depends on who you are close to, and nothing said after that gets taken straight. Friendship makes the conversation harder. It does not make it optional.

Say the awkward thing to the friend first, before correcting anybody else, and say it privately. Use the same words you would use with anybody. Expect one cold hour, and expect the team to notice something they will never mention.