Goal: Barcelona's captaincy order reshuffled, De Jong drops to fourth, Yamal fifth

According to Goal, Frenkie de Jong has moved down one place in Barcelona's captaincy order. The Netherlands international was the third captain last season, but he will only rank fourth in the new season. The players themselves decided an important part of this order.

With Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Araujo leaving, Barcelona had to redefine their captaincy structure for the 2026/27 season. De Jong appeared to have a chance to move higher after their departures, but it did not happen in the end.

Flick decided that Raphinha would serve as first captain, with Pedri as vice-captain. Last season, Ter Stegen and Araujo were Barcelona's first and second captains respectively.

Regarding the other three positions, the German coach did not want to decide them alone. “I don't want to decide the other three, only these two, because they are very important,” Flick explained at the press conference. Afterwards, the whole squad had the opportunity to choose the remaining captains themselves.

The voting results showed that Eric Garcia became the third captain, which also meant De Jong moved down one place compared with last season. Yamal completed the list as the fifth captain, meaning the 19-year-old player has officially taken on a leadership role within the team.

Garcia's selection is seen as confirmation of the trust he has earned under Flick. Through his professional attitude, discipline, and commitment to the team, the defender has gained widespread respect within the squad.

“In the end, the team chose these players. For me, it is a good group with leadership qualities. I need all the players and their commitment to the team,” Flick added.

Barcelona will face Valencia on Sunday but will still be without the injured De Jong. Flick's team can also take advantage of this match because their rivals Real Madrid dropped points after losing to Real Betis on Friday night.