News of Marc-André ter Stegen being stripped of the captain’s armband has caused shock in Barcelona’s dressing room.
The team did not consult the players or coaching staff; instead, they learned the news via social media. None of the first-team players were informed that a vote on next season’s captaincy could take place in the near future either.
In Barcelona’s statement on Thursday, it was announced that Ronald Araújo will be promoted to captain.
On Thursday morning, Barcelona players arrived at the training ground, preparing for two training sessions scheduled for the day. Ter Stegen also drove to the training ground but left an hour later without participating in any training, as he is still recovering from last week’s surgery.
No captaincy vote was held before the morning training session, and the team trained as usual. Afterwards, the players went home to rest in preparation for the afternoon training. It was during that break that the vast majority of players learned the news.
However, Ter Stegen did feel satisfied and reassured upon seeing the support from his teammates during pre-season training. His team believes that Barcelona’s dressing room has grown accustomed to such situations in recent years, and this will not affect his relationship with the team.
