In the training sessions that FC Barcelona carry out in the United States there is always a footballer watching out for the youngsters. He chats with Fermín López, Lamine Yamal or Marc Casadó and offers them his vision: that of a youth squad player who came to Barça at the age of 14 and who has gone through all possible states of mind and football. Sergi Roberto, at 31, makes his debut this season as first captain. “Now everything comes to them much faster. Any player who stands out is put under pressure. I tell them to be patient, ”explained Sergi Roberto in Dallas in his first appearance as owner of the bracelet.

It was Gerard Piqué’s unexpected goodbye in January 2023 that marked a turning point in the team’s leadership. The departures of Busquets and Jordi Alba in June confirmed the change in cycle. Of that group of four bosses trained in the Masia, only Sergi Roberto remains, who began to form part of the captains’ quartet in 2018 with the farewell of Iniesta and Mascherano. Five years later he leads the group completed by Ter Stegen, Araújo and De Jong. “I have been with great captains and I have learned a lot from them. Following his path is a source of pride ”, he points out.

Roberto has been thinking about the Gamper’s speech for days. He will address the fans on August 8 at Montjuïc before playing against Tottenham in the team’s traditional debut. “I already thought about it. It is something that makes me excited ”, he admits privately to his colleagues.

Publicly Sergi Roberto continues to maintain an optimistic and hard-working tone. In the locker room they value him above all for his empathy and for the help he offers to those who are starting out. Xavi Hernández has always defended that the man from Reus is an exemplary footballer. In fact, if the youth squad player has continued to renew for a year in the last two courses with a 70 percent lower salary, it is partly due to the insistence of the coach, who always defends before the sports area the need to have a player with his character and versatility.

Sergi Roberto, who is confident that the club can soon solve the financial fair play problems so that they can register his contract and that of seven other players -Marcos Alonso, Gündogan, Oriol Romeu, Iñigo Martínez, Araújo, Balde and Lamine Yamal-, signed in March until June 30, 2024. “I don’t think beyond enjoying the moment of the club of my life”, pointed out the player who, before Messi, Busquets and Alba decided on Miami, was already seen in the United States United in the future enjoying the MLS. “But I don’t see it as something immediate,” he insists whenever he is asked.

On the pitch, Roberto knows that he won’t always be a starter. And that with the arrival of Gundogan and Oriol Romeu it is very difficult for him to establish himself in the center of the field, his favorite position. He assumes it normally. “The coach likes the idea of ??playing with four midfielders. I am versatile. I can play pivot or inside”, he insisted. He will have more options on the right side if Xavi advocates a defense of four. “It’s the same every year. I haven’t spoken to Xavi because we already know each other. He knows that he can count on me to cover the position that he needs, ”added the youth squad.

The captain forms together with Ter Stegen, Araújo and De Jong –these last two, voted for at a dinner held in Los Angeles– the youngest quartet in the last 15 years, with an average age of 28. “I think we have a great squad and some good captains to win titles”, he insisted. Beyond Gamper’s speech, the man from Reus has another dream for this season: “Hopefully I will lift the Champions League at Wembley.”