Official: Marc-Andre ter Stegen is the fourth captain of Barcelona

Ahead of Barcelona’s derby against RCD Espanyol on New Year’s Eve, manager Xavi Hernandez has confirmed that Marc-Andre ter Stegen will be the club’s fourth captain, taking over from Gerard Pique.

The former Spanish international announced his retirement from club football last month, putting an end to an illustrious career at Spotify Camp Nou. With him stepping down, Barça had a vacant captaincy slot.

There had been talk about ter Stegen filling the open position, but reports earlier today had indicated that Barcelona had decided to go through the remainder of the season with just three captains in Sergio Busquets, Sergi Roberto and Jordi Alba.

However, in his press conference, Xavi has officially confirmed that ter Stegen had been chosen as the fourth club captain following Pique’s retirement.

“The fourth captain has been chosen as of this week. It will be Ter Stegen because of his seniority and experience,” Xavi said in his press conference.

Tenim nou 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮̀ 💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/5uPmIjedHo

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_cat) December 30, 2022

Ter Stegen is one of the most experienced members of this FC Barcelona squad, having been at the club since 2014 when he joined from Borussia Monchengladbach. The 30-year-old has made 346 appearances for the Catalan giants, securing 140 clean sheets in the process.

The German international has been in inspired form this season and is leading the race for the Zamora Trophy, following a solid run of performances in the first half of the season.

Having led the team on several occasions in the past, ter Stegen has now officially been named the fourth captain of FC Barcelona.