Barcelona confirm four captains for 2023/24 season | OneFootball

Barcelona have announced their four-player leadership group heading into the 2023/24 season.

La Blaugrana have lost club captain Sergio Busquets and vice-captain Jordi Alba to Inter Miami, where they have linked up with Barça legend Lionel Messi.

Busquets and Alba played a combined 1,181 matches for Barcelona and they will be sorely missed in the dressing room.

In their place, Barcelona have confirmed that Sergi Roberto has been promoted to captain, with Marc-Andre ter Stegen taking on the role as vice-captain.

Roberto is largely a peripheral figure in the squad nowadays, meaning Ter Stegen is likely to wear the armband for the majority of the season.

Xavi has also added two new players to his leadership group, with Ronald Araujo and Frenkie de Jong taking their place alongside two Barça veterans.

Araujo only turned 24 in March but has become a popular figure at Barcelona since breaking into the first team, often praised for his physical and aggressive defending.

De Jong came close to leaving Barcelona last summer amid their financial crisis and interest from Manchester United, but opted to stay and fight for his place and has now been rewarded with a place in the leadership group.

While Barcelona have lost plenty of experience in the summer transfer window, they have also added some in the form of ex-Manchester City captain Ilkay Gundogan, former Athletic Club defender Inigo Martinez and La Masia graduate Oriol Romeu.