Andres Iniesta has been elected as captain of Barcelona after a vote among the squad saw the Spaniard picked as successor to the departed Xavi Hernandez.
Following Barca tradition, he will be assisted by three vice-captains – talisman Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Javier Mascherano respectively.
Spain defender Gerrard Pique was a surprise omission from the list despite having declared his willingness to serve the club in that capacity. “Even though I’m not a captain, I have an important role. I’d like to be captain in the future, but I don’t lose sleep over it,” Pique said to barcastuff.
Unlike other clubs, Barca’s captain is elected democratically. The players vote for who they wish to see lead them rather than the manager picking a skipper. Club legend Xavi was installed as captain in such a way last summer following the departure of Carles Puyol.
Iniesta is certainly deserving of the honour having spent his entire senior career at Barcelona, winning seven La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues since making his debut in 2002.
Vice-captains Messi and Busquets are also graduates of the Barcelona youth system and are long-term servants to the club. Meanwhile, 31-year-old Mascherano joined Barcelona from Liverpool in 2010 and has proven to be a fine leader and inspiration to the side.
