Genuinely notable one - Barcelona have finalized their leadership group for 2026/27, and Lamine Yamal is in it. He's 19. Backstory: Ter Stegen and Araujo leaving created a real leadership gap. Flick named Raphinha, Pedri, and Eric Garcia as temporary captains before the Gamper Trophy while the squad was still being finished. Once it was complete, the rest came down to an internal players' vote - Flick kept Raphinha and Pedri as first and second captain, and the squad voted for Garcia, De Jong, and Yamal to fill out the remaining three spots.
Garcia and De Jong being in there isn't surprising - Garcia's earned a ton of trust for his professionalism, and De Jong's now the most senior player in the squad after Ter Stegen left. Yamal's the interesting one though. He's not senior, he doesn't have tenure, this wasn't a coach's call - his own teammates voted for him. That's a different kind of endorsement than getting picked by a manager.
He's already wearing the No. 10 (Ronaldinho, Messi lineage) and now has a formal leadership role to go with it at 19. Feels like the clearest signal yet that Barca are building the next several years directly around him. Curious what people think this means for the dressing room dynamic with some of the more senior players not included (no Gavi, notably). https://athletestyles.com/lamine-yamal-barcelona-captaincy-group-2026/
