Frenkie De Jong Emerges As A Contender For Captaincy Following Busquets and Jordi Alba Exits
There have been a lot of changes in Barcelona’s leadership lately and many more are in the offing, as two of the team’s old guards Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba are set to leave Camp Nou at the end of the season.
This will leave Xavi devoid of two of his club captains. Sergi Roberto and Marc-Andre ter Stegen are the other two captains, meaning the team needs to find two more options in the coming summer.
So far, Ronald Araujo and Robert Lewandowski have been touted as the players to fill the captaincy spots at Barcelona next season.
However, according to Diario SPORT, Frenkie de Jong is another player in contention to take on the leadership mantle at Barcelona this summer.
The report points out that de Jong is the longest-serving player (in terms of appearances) in the Barcelona squad apart from Roberto and Ousmane Dembele. In the dressing room, he is seen as an effective leader who can lead the team.
Not to mention, de Jong’s commitment to the team this season has not gone unnoticed, with the Dutchman emerging as one of La Liga’s best-performing midfielders this term. He was even handed the captain’s armband in Barcelona’s recent game against Real Valladolid.
With 181 competitive appearances for Barça and 50 caps for the Netherlands national team, de Jong also has enough experience at the top level. He even spoke about his experience of captaining the Barcelona squad in the defeat to Valladolid, suggesting it is something that suits him quite well.
That said, there are other options for Barcelona as well, with even Pedri emerging in contention. Not to mention, Lionel Messi could become an easy choice for captain once he returns to Camp Nou. So it will be interesting to see which two players get the armband for Barça next season.
