Nicolo Barella became the sixth player to wear the captain’s armband for Inter this season in the second half of yesterday evening’s Serie A win over Lecce.
This is highlighted in today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, who note that the 25-year-old has come onto the scene as Lautaro Martinez’s main competitor to inherit the armband permanently from Samir Handanovic.
So far this season, all of Martinez, Handanovic, Milan Skriniar, Marcelo Brozovic, and Danilo D’Ambrosio have worn the armband for Inter.
It is confirmed that Skriniar will no longer wear it given that the 28-year-old intends to leave at the end of the season, but otherwise Simone Inzaghi has given the duty to players purely based on seniority in the team.
Given that Barella was the player on hand to take over the armband from Martinez when the Argentine came off as a substitute yesterday, the former Cagliari man got a taste of the captaincy as the team saw out the match.
Whilst Martinez is now considered to be the clear favourite to become the Nerazzurri’s next permanent captain given his emerging leadership role in the squad, the Gazzetta notes that Barella’s candidacy is not to entirely be discounted.