Manchester City have announced the five players which will form the team's new leadership group for the 2023/24 campaign, with each star set to act as club captain.
Following the departure of Ilkay Gundogan to Barcelona in the summer, Manchester City were left needing a new club captain. The German midfielder took over responsibilities from Fernandinho at the beginning of the 2022/23 season, and at the end of the campaign lifted all three major trophies available to Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola has always implemented a leadership group at the Etihad Stadium based on a squad vote, and the latest result has now been revealed ahead of their Champions League group stage game against Red Star Belgrade on Tuesday night.
Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias and Rodri are all part of the leadership group and the new club captains, with Walker explaining the result in a pre-match press conference.
“It’s [the vote] come in and the five captains [have been] chosen,” Walker revealed. “We’ll lead the team for the foreseeable season and make sure the fines are paid up. The order doesn’t matter, It’s down to me, Kevin [De Bruyne], Rodri, Ruben [Dias] and Bernardo Silva. I’m honoured to lead the players and I’ll lead by example.
“We don’t do fines, if it’s arriving 10 minutes late for a team meeting, it’s paying for a meal. If there’s anyone to collect it, it’s Ruben [Dias] and Rodri.
“Bernardo’s shown on the pitch how important he is to the team. Off the pitch what you don’t see, he’s a really good relationship with the manager, if we want days off we’ll get him to ask.”
Kevin De Bruyne started the season wearing the armband during City's 3-0 win against Burnley on opening day, but injury has kept him out of the squad ever since. Walker himself then took over responsibility on the pitch during the next four matches.
The 33-year-old also agreed a new deal that will keep him at Manchester City until the summer of 2026 last week, highlighting his commitment to the club after intense speculation over the summer linking him with Bayern Munich.
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