Gerard Pique made a sudden announcement last month confirming his retirement from the game of football. The Spaniard’s decision not only left a vacant spot in the defensive unit at FC Barcelona, but also opened up a captaincy slot.
After all, Pique was one of the four club captains for the Blaugrana this season along with Sergio Busquets, Sergi Roberto and Jordi Alba.
But now that the former defender has stepped away, there have been talks of Barça naming a fourth captain to take up his position.
Reports indicated that a vote will be conducted in the coming weeks with the Catalans having recovered all their players following the World Cup. And goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen had been touted as the favourite to be the new captain.
But, according to a fresh update from Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona have decided not to take vote on a new skipper to replace Pique until the next pre-season in June 2023. So, as things stand, Busquets, Roberto, and Alba will continue as the only captains for the remainder of the ongoing campaign.
There could be changes to the captaincy positions come next season, considering that both Busquets and Roberto are in the final six months of their respective contracts.
While manager Xavi Hernandez wants both players to remain at Camp Nou for another season, nothing is set in stone with regard to their future. In case they leave, there will be fresh faces named as captains with the aforementioned ter Stegen a candidate along with Robert Lewandowski.
For now, though, Barcelona are unlikely to name a fourth captain to replace Pique, with Busquets, Roberto and Alba set to continue as the first, second and third skippers, respectively, until the end of the season.
The post Barcelona decide against naming a fourth captain until June following Pique’s retirement appeared first on Barca Universal.