Barcelona will be under new leadership this season, after former captain Sergio Busquets left the club in the summer. With Jordi Alba the next most senior player also terminating his deal, it feels like a new era.
Although Sergi Roberto was present during the back-end of Pep Guardiola’s management and Tito Vilanova’s spell, Alba and Busquets leaving hands the armband over to a player who is much more closely associated with Luis Enrique.
Roberto spoke to RAC1 while on tour with Barcelona for preseason, and confirmed shortly before a Lionel Messi masterclass that he was eager to reunite with the Argentine himself at Barcelona.
“Everyone was excited and personally I would have liked to play with Leo again. For him to return home was the story that everyone wanted, because it would have been the opportunity to give him the send-off he deserved. They tried, but it couldn’t be.”
More precisely on being the captain of Barcelona now, he was asked how things had changed for him.
“My situation hasn’t changed, but it’s not something I think about. I’m very lucky to be in the club of my life. There were difficult moments and this shows the esteem I have for the club, otherwise it wouldn’t have endured.”
“Being the first captain is a responsibility, but I am also proud, I have spectacular captains, since I’ve been a Culer, I have always dreamed of this moment.
🚨 Roberto: "Mbappé? I don't know if it is feasible for him to come. I don't know what happens to the players who are not here, but we want the best players. It is clear that if he could come he would be welcome."
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) July 25, 2023
Roberto is thought to have taken a pay cut in his last two deals which have slashed his wages by over half. He held no rancour about that though.
“I’m very lucky to be at the club of my life. There are difficult moments and that shows the love that you have for the club, but if I didn’t have that, I wouldn’t have kept going. Now I’m the captain of the team and that shows the love I have for and the sacrifice that I have made for the club.”
“My role for the team is to help the coach and my colleagues. I would like to play more, to be back on the pitch, but we all of have to accept a secondary role. It is very important for us all to pull in the same direction.”
Roberto has been joined by Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Frenkie de Jong and Ronald Araujo as vice-captains for this season. In addition, Ilkay Gundogan and Robert Lewandowski bring years of experience at the top level, having lost significant chunks of just that without Gerard Pique, Alba and Busquets.
