According to SPORT, injuries and unfit players may force FC Barcelona to name a new captain for their La Liga match against Rayo Vallecano on Saturday, and perhaps even beyond.
The armband became vacant prior to the 2023–2024 season as Sergio Busquets left to join former captain Lionel Messi at Inter Miami this summer.
In terms of seniority, or rather as the longest-serving member of the team, their fellow La Masia alumnus Sergi Roberto was promoted from vice-captain.
When Gerard Pique retired in November 2022 and Alba continued his career with Busquets and Messi on the other side of the Atlantic, two more spots became available for Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who was promoted to fill them.
During the first team’s July preseason friendly tour of the United States, a poll was conducted in Los Angeles, and natural leaders Ronald Araujo and Frenkie de Jong were chosen.
Given the crowded midfield and the addition of Joao Cancelo on loan at right back, Ter Stegen is now seen as the de facto captain. Roberto is frequently left off the pitch.
However, given that the goalkeeper sustained a back injury while playing for Germany internationally, this and other factors could lead to a development that hasn’t happened since 2020–2021.
Roberto would not make the cut, head coach Xavi Hernandez said before of Saturday’s trip to Rayo Vallecano.
It is anticipated that Araujo will also be rested, with Inigo Martinez and Andreas Christensen starting at center back. Cancelo takes up the opposite channel while Jules Kounde covers for him at right back.
Frenkie de Jong is not ready to start from the beginning, even though he will play for the first time since leaving the Montjuic Stadium field against Celta Vigo with a knock in late September.
If Robert Lewandowski, the team’s oldest member, isn’t given the armband, Pedri, who has been out of the lineup for a while, might be the team’s captain.
If this is confirmed, it will be the first time since 2020–2021 that a player who wasn’t one of the four selected captains has been assigned such duties; at that time, Clement Lenglet had to take the lead.
Source: Forbes,
