Taking up the captain’s armband could be one of the biggest achievements for any player, especially those playing at a club as big as FC Barcelona. Getting the armband gives a player a clear position of leadership and responsibility in the team, as his teammates also usually took towards the captain for inspiration.
At FC Barcelona, four captains are elected by the dressing room at the start of every season, and this season, Sergi Roberto, Marc Andre Ter Stegen, Ronald Araujo, and Frenkie de Jong were the ones chosen for the armband.
However, as SPORT has noted, none of these players might start the match against Rayo Vallecano, which naturally leads one to question just who will take the captain’s armband in this match.
Sergi Roberto is the first captain of the squad, but Xavi has already ruled him out from the squad against Rayo Vallecano.
Ter Stegen is the second captain, but as Sergi Roberto does not start a lot of games, the German has been the captain of the team for most part of this season, having taken the armband in 15 games. However, he is also unfit and not traveling to Madrid for the Vallecano match.
Ronald Araujo is the third captain, but he has yet to take the armband in an official match for Barcelona, having been the captain only in a pre-season match against Milan.
But he is also coming from a highly hectic international break, in which he played 180 minutes in two matches for Uruguay and has undertaken only two training sessions. Thus, at least under normal conditions, he would not be starting the game against Rayo Vallecano.
The fourth captain is Frenkie de Jong, who has now recovered from his injury but also has not been on the pitch for Barcelona since 23rd September.
He has been training for a while, but after such a lengthy spell on the sidelines, players are usually only gradually introduced to the pitch, and Xavi may give him only a final few minutes in the match.
Thus, it is highly likely that a player outside of the four captains will take the captain’s armband in this match.
Pedri is an option, given his lengthy tenure with the Barcelona squad, following the captains, while Robert Lewandowski is the most experienced and can also take the armband. Ilkay Gundogan is another clear leader in the locker room who can be selected as the captain for this match.
