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Barcelona fans on Twitter have criticized club captain Sergi Roberto for his display in their Joan Gamper Trophy game against Tottenham Hotspur.
The Blaugrana welcomed Spurs to the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Tuesday, August 8, for their annual curtain-raiser. They ran out 4-2 winners, thanks to goals from Robert Lewandowski, Ferran Torres, Ansu Fati and Abde Ezzalzouli. Oliver Skipp netted a first-half brace for the visitors.
While the Blaugrana did win the game, they required three goals after the 80th minute from their young substitutes, having fallen 2-1 behind in the 36th minute. Several players underwhelmed, including Roberto.
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The Spaniard replaced Ronald Araujo, who started at right-back, in the 32nd minute after the latter had pulled up with an injury. Roberto struggled to cope with Tottenham winger Manor Solomon for the rest of the night and also allowed Ivan Perisic too much space to deliver a cross for Skipp's second goal.
Many Barcelona fans lambasted Roberto on social media, with one tweeting:
"Barca’s first captain is just a liability"
Another tweeted that Roberto should be moved to Saudi Arabia:
"Idc (I don't care) if he's cheap, Roberto has to be sold to Saudi"
Here are some more reactions from fans:
Roberto has notably been a part of Barcelona since joining La Masia in 2006. The 31-year-old midfielder, who can also play as a right-back, rose through the ranks before joining the first team in 2013. He has played 349 times for the club across competitions, recording 16 goals and 40 assists.
Roberto has also won seven La Liga, six Copa del Rey, one UEFA Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup title. He has won 11 caps for Spain, too, but his last appearance was in 2021.
"A very special moment" - Sergi Roberto on being named Barcelona's first captain
Barcelona have traditionally had four captains over the last decade or so, and announce their names before the start of the season.
With Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba departing this summer, Sergi Roberto is now the longest-serving player at the club and has duly been named first captain. Goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, midfielder Frenkie de Jong and defender Ronald Araujo are the other three captains for Xavi Hernandez's side.
The Blaugrana always present their squad to fans before the Joan Gamper Trophy and did the same on Tuesday. That was followed by a speech from Roberto about the team's ambitions for the season.
After the Tottenham game on Tuesday, the Spaniard said that it's special to be named Barcelona's first captain (as quoted by the club website):
“This is a very special moment for me personally, because I am now the first captain of my lifelong club. I have been set some fine examples, and I hope to defend this club and its colours as they did.”
The Spaniard concluded:
“We'll see you again at the end of the season to lift trophies together.”
Barcelona open their 2023-24 La Liga campaign on Sunday (August 13) with a visit to Getafe.
