Hansi Flick drops hint on new Barcelona captain amid Ter Stegen absence

Feargal Brennan

Hansi Flick drops hint on new Barcelona captain amid Ter Stegen absence image

Barcelona continued their superb preseason form with a goal-filled 7-3 win over FC Seoul in the South Korean capital.

Hansi Flick's side kicked off their tour with a 3-1 victory against Vissel Kobe in Japan and five different players found the back of the net as they recorded a second win on the road.

The La Blaugrana squad have benefitted from a tournament free summer, and they face Daegu FC on August 4, before heading back to Catalonia for the Joan Gamper Trophy vs. Como on August 10.

Despite falling short in their attempts to sign Nico Williams, it has been a relatively smooth summer for Flick, as he builds towards a La Liga title defence in 2025/26.

Joan Garcia has come in from neighbours Espanyol alongside a season-long loan swoop for Marcus Rashford with an option to buy the Manchester United forward in 2026.

The main point of controversy focuses on Marc-Andre ter Stegen with the Germany international set for an extended spell on the sidelines due to injury.

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Ter Stegen is irked by the arrival of Garcia, with the 24-year-old set to replace him as No.1, and Barcelona are open to selling the former Borussia Monchengladbach stopper.

La Liga are assessing a request over how long Ter Stegen will be out of action for, following back surgery, with a four-month absence needed to trigger a loophole to facilitate Garcia's registration.

MORE: Germany boss' World Cup warning to Ter Stegen

An exit now looks unlikely, but Flick has admitted he may remove captaincy from Ter Stegen, with an unexpected candidate emerging as a replacement.

"What I've seen from Gavi is exactly what I want to see [vs. Seoul], pushing the team forward as captain," as per Mundo Deportivo.

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"We saw him at the end of last season and he was at a very good level. He can play in either position, No.6 or No.8."

Gavi took over the captain's armband at half time against FC Seoul following Ronald Araujo's substitution.

Who is Barcelona captain?

Barcelona operate a policy of multiple team captains with one lead captain - a role Ter Stegen took in August 2024 - following the departure of Sergio Roberto.

He captained the team seven times in 2024/25, before suffering a major knee injury in September, and wore the armband twice more after his return in the final weeks of the campaign.

The other four team captains split responsibility in his absence with Raphinha [19], Araujo [16], Frenkie de Jong [15] and Pedri [1] all taking their turn as leader.

Araujo and De Jong are No.2 and No.3 on the list, but their own injury issues last season saw Raphinha elevated from No.4, and the Uruguayan looks the logical replacement.

However, with Pau Cubarsi and Inigo Martinez ahead of him as Flick's centre-back pairing, De Jong could take over with Gavi added to the five-player list.

Barcelona news and related links

Feargal Brennan

Feargal is a content producer for The Sporting News. He has been working with TSN since the start of 2022 after stints with Reach, Amazon UK and Squawka in a nomadic career in the football media pyramid. Always with a keen eye on Arteta's 'Reds' and Kenny's Ireland 'Greens' and a 100% five-a-side penalty record.