Barcelona will need to appoint a new captain next season now that Sergio Busquets has confirmed he will be leaving at the end of the season.
The 34-year-old is the current first captain at Spotify Camp Nou. His departure would see Sergi Roberto take over the reins from him, with Jordi Alba and Marc-Andre ter Stegen moving up a rung each on the ladder.
That would leave the fourth captaincy spot vacant for next season, with several names such as Ronald Araujo, Robert Lewandowski, and Ousmane Dembele being discussed as potential candidates.
And, now Ferran Correas of SPORT is reporting that Araujo could end up becoming the fourth captain of Barcelona next season due to two main attributes – his growth and his character.
Signed from Boston River in 2018, the Uruguayan was initially a part of the Barça Atletic setup before breaking into the senior team a year later.
It was during the 2020/21 campaign that he properly flourished though and by the time Xavi took over the reins in 2021, he had become a permanent fixture in the Barcelona defence.
Time and again, over the past couple of years, Araujo has demonstrated his leadership qualities and commitment to the Barcelona badge.
Speaking after the club’s La Liga triumph which was sealed with a win over Espanyol on Sunday, Araujo had said: “I will forever be in love with Barcelona. We’re a big family here. The most important part is winning titles.“
During the course of the game on Sunday night at Cornella El-Prat and even afterwards during the celebrations, Araujo’s leadership had come to the fore.
At 24, he has shown that he can be a leader of the team on and off the pitch. At the same time, the growth in his game and the development in his stature over the past couple of seasons have been spectacular.
All things considered, the Uruguayan international could be a strong contender for the captaincy role next season when Busquets bids adieu to the Blaugrana.
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