Official! FC Barcelona has announced through its various social platforms who will be the captains of the club for the 2024/25 season. It is worth noting that changes were expected in this regard, as the first captain in the 2023/24 campaign, Sergi Roberto, left the Catalan team after his contract with the institution ended on June 30 and his renewal did not come to fruition.
In this regard, regarding the first three captains, there are no major surprises. Marc-André ter Stegen, who was the second captain last season, is promoted to the main captaincy, breaking a tradition that had been maintained for about 20 seasons. What was this tradition? The fact that the first choice to wear the captain's armband was a player developed in the youth academy. The last player to make such a move was Luis Enrique (a product of Sporting de Gijón) in the 2003/04 season.
Similarly, Ronald Araújo moves from third to second captain and Frenkie de Jong from fourth to third compared to the previous season. The most significant changes have occurred in the fourth and fifth positions of the captaincy, occupied by two unexpected names: Raphinha as the fourth captain and Pedri González as the fifth. It is worth noting that the inclusion of a fifth team leader is a novelty, as Barcelona had managed a group of four captains in recent years.
Robert Lewandowski, the big absentee in FC Barcelona's captaincy?
A surprising issue for everyone is the exclusion of Robert Lewandowski from this new list of captains, despite his experience and specific role in the team, having played two seasons as a Blaugrana, just like Raphinha. Even at Mestalla, 'Lewy' was the one who spoke with the referee instead of Ter Stegen, due to the latter's position on the field. It is worth mentioning that this decision was made consensually by the whole team, although it is surprising that the forward has been excluded from a role he even performs in the Polish national team.