Barcelona defender emerges as strong captaincy contender after key exits

Barcelona defender emerges as strong captaincy contender after key exits FC Barcelona will decide in the coming days which players will wear the captain’s armband this season. And, according to MARCA , one of the players in contention to represent and lead his teammates is Eric García. Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Ronald Araujo, the first and second captains last season, will not wear the Barça shirt during the 2026-27 campaign, leaving two leadership positions vacant . Frenkie de Jong, Raphinha and Pedri remain in the squad and will therefore continue to be voices within the dressing room, although the Dutch midfielder is injured and there is no clear date for his return. A leading contender for captaincy. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) Two more players still need to be chosen as dressing-room leaders. Eric, a World Cup winner with Spain, is one of the candidates, thanks to his experience, professionalism, importance to the team, background, personality and relationship with his teammates. Already a captain last season The versatile defender has already worn the armband on several occasions during the 2025-26 season. He started with it against Athletic Club at San Mames, and also wore it for periods against Atletico Madrid and Mallorca in La Liga, against Athletic Club in the Spanish Super Cup semifinal and against Simeone’s side in the Champions League quarter-finals. He had also previously captained Barça’s youth teams, where he developed before leaving for Manchester City at the age of 16. He returned to Barcelona in 2021. A key player for Flick Ready for more responsibility. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images) Eric is also one of the players with the greatest sporting importance in Flick’s team. His numbers underline that role: he made more appearances than any other Barça player during the 2025-26 season, featuring in 51 matches. He also made more starts than anyone else, with 47. His versatility, allowing him to play as a centre-back, full-back and midfielder, helped him accumulate so many minutes. In total, the Spanish defender, whose friendly and conciliatory personality has made him one of the most popular figures in the dressing room, has made 166 appearances for Barça. Eric, who is likely to be made the first-choice right-back by Flick , is therefore one of the leading candidates to represent the Barça dressing room as one of the captains.