Vinícius Júnior named Real Madrid captain for 2025–26 despite stalled contract talks and Saudi interest, signaling faith in his leadership.
Two vacancies in Real Madrid’s captaincy have been filled by the official replacements of Luka Modrić and Lucas Vázquez, whose contracts expired last weekend.
As the primary captain of the team, Modrić’s retirement necessitated a replacement, and naturally, Dani Carvajal, who served as vice-captain in the 2024–25 campaign, was chosen to take his position.
Carvajal had a challenging season after suffering a severe ACL injury in October. It’s a proud moment for Carvajal, and Federico Valverde will be his vice captain.
The Uruguayan midfielder, who was already a member of the captains’ group, is now moving forward. Diario AS reports that the 2025–2026 season’s captains’ group will include:
Dani Carvajal (captain)
Federico Valverde (vice-captain)
Thibaut Courtois
Vinicius junior
Vinicius, who came from Flamengo the same year, will be the fourth captain, while Courtois, who joined Real Madrid from Chelsea in 2018, will wear the armband as the third captain.
In cooperation with coach Xabi Alonso, who will use these four players to guide the team during his first full season as Real Madrid coach, the club’s management made the decision.
Given his uncertain future at the Santiago Bernabeu, Vinicius’ nomination as captain is especially intriguing. A world-record deal is apparently being prepared by Saudi Arabia to entice him away, but negotiations for a new contract have stalled.
Vinicius is anticipated to continue serving as one of the four captains for the upcoming season, which begins next month, and his departure is still doubtful at this point.
