Barça winger Ousmane Dembélé aims to be a captain for 23/24

Dembélé will begin his seventh season at Barça, which makes him, after the departures of Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, the third oldest player in the Blaugrana squad, behind only Sergi Roberto, who will reach eleven years in the first team in the 23-24 season (he previously played for the reserve team), and Ter Stegen, who is just a year behind the player from Reus.

Ousmane has had to endure a lot at Camp Nou so far, but nothing has seen his determination to succeed in the Barça shirt and his commitment to the club drop. Neither the misfortune suffered with injuries in some periods nor the tense negotiations before signing his renewal have made him change his mind. He feels at home and has not the slightest intention of leaving. Quite the opposite, with him opting not to activate the 50 million euros release clause. His contract expires on 30 June 2024 and the aim is to extend.

It is not surprising that Xavi Hernandez is delighted with the Frenchman, with whom he has enjoyed working since his first day in charge.

"Ousmane was a very pleasant surprise," Xavi said, about his influence in the locker room which has been growing year by year. He maintains a very close relationship with the younger players and is loved and respected by all his teammates.

Hence it is not a surprise that Ousmane's name is gaining the most ground to become one of the captains of the squad this season. Far from the frivolous image that was sold of him in his early days at Barça, the 26-year-old Frenchman today transmits a mature personality to which he adds the enthusiasm of a youth player. One of his great dreams, almost an obsession (as he has expressed publicly), is to win the Champions League as a Blaugrana. All these factors make him one of the firm candidates to wear the armband.

Without Pique, Busquets and Jordi Alba, Sergi Roberto and Ter Stegen are the ones with the most experience within the squad, which will have to choose their new captain for the 23-24 season. Logically, the Catalan and the German will retain the armband, and Lewandowski is also in contention, due to his seniority and hierarchy in the dressing room, as well as De Jong.

However, Dembélé also holds a prominent position among the candidates, as expressed by some of those who will have to live with him daily.

In any case, it will be his teammates who will end up making the final decision through a vote. No matter who is picked, Barça's first team captains will be very different this season from that of recent years. And for Ousmane, it would be a reward for loyalty and an enormous pride to wear the 'senyera' on his left arm with the Blaugrana shirt.