Raphinha, candidate for Barcelona captain
Barcelona's Brazilian forward Raphinha emerges as candidate for captaincy, as the club looks to reorganize its leadership structure after the departures of Marc-André ter Stegen and Ronald Araujo.
The official website of the Ballon d'Or confirmed that Raphinha has been named first captain of the club for the 2026-27 season, becoming the first Brazilian to wear the captain's armband in the history of Barça.
The decision is due to the departure of two of the captains, German goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen and Uruguayan defender Ronald Araujo, loaned to Ajax and Liverpool respectively.
If it were by seniority in the blue and red dressing room, the succession should have fallen on Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong, but Raphinha's ascendancy would have weighed more as a criterion.
De Jong would remain as second captain, while Pedri González would be the third. Pablo Páez Gavira 'Gavi' would remain as fourth captain and Eric Garcia would enter the 'culé bridge' as fifth bearer of the armband with the 'senyera'.
The information from 'Ballon d'or' recalled the nomination for the coveted individual award that Raphinha deserved in 2025 after being named best player of the League and becoming one of the top scorers in the Champions League.
Currently, FC Barcelona is at the top of the League, with 84 goals scored and 30 received, giving them a 9-point advantage over Real Madrid. Their next match will be against Levante on February 21, 2027.
