Barcelona will leave the captaincy void left by Ter Stegen’s exit unfilled – report

Last week saw FC Barcelona captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen leave the club to join Girona on loan for the rest of the campaign.

Having seen his prominence within the team decline, the 33-year-old shot-stopper decided to make the temporary move to Montilivi so that he could play regularly, leading up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

No addition to leadership group

With Ter Stegen’s exit, there is a vacancy in the leadership group at FC Barcelona, who had named five club captains at the start of the season.

However, according to Mundo Deportivo, the captaincy position left vacant by Ter Stegen as first captain will not be filled by a new vote.

Instead, the remaining captains, who were elected by the squad alongside the German goalkeeper at the start of last season, will continue to assume those responsibilities. They are Ronald Araujo, Frenkie de Jong, Raphinha and Pedri.

Ter Stegen has joined Girona on loan. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

As a result, Ter Stegen’s departure, at least until June, will not trigger the election of a new captain to replace the German international. Barcelona will simply continue with the four remaining captains.

Therefore, Araujo, De Jong, Raphinha and Pedri will be responsible for representing the dressing room in dealings with the coach and the club. This includes managing any issues that may arise within the squad or negotiating rewards and bonuses, among other matters.

Meanwhile, if none of the four official captains are on the pitch, the armband will be worn according to seniority within the squad.

In fact, there are several players who act as captains without being part of the official group, such as Robert Lewandowski, Eric Garcia and Ferran Torres.

All three have worn the captain’s armband at different moments this season when the official captains were unavailable and will continue to do so whenever required.