Manchester City fans believe Ruben Dias should replace Ilkay Gundogan as club captain.
For the fourth time in five years, City will wave goodbye to their skipper this summer as Gundogan will complete a move to Barcelona once his contract expires in a few days' time. Though Pep Guardiola was desperate to keep the German, disagreements over the length of a new contract saw him head for Camp Nou.
Gundogan follows in the footsteps of Fernandinho, David Silva and Vincent Kompany in leaving the club on a free transfer while captaining the side but this time it's a little bit different. Though the preceding trio are all legends and were crucial to the club's success in recent years, they were all past the peak of their powers.
In contrast, Gundogan might still be playing the best football of his career and was one of Guardiola's most trusted players for the biggest occasions. The 32-year-old played 51 times last season and scored crucial goals in the Premier League run-in as well as the FA Cup final.
Also read: Kovacic sets out City ambition as squad number confirmed
The Blues boss hasn't lost a player so integral to his system for some time and it will be incredibly difficult to replace him. City have made a start on doing so by signing Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea but they want more.
Declan Rice was a target and a £90million bid was rejected by West Ham but now City have walked away from the deal after Arsenal upped their own bid to £105million. The England midfielder is now expected to sign for the Gunners.
But it's not just a matter of replacing the player but the leader as well. City have a strong leadership group that the whole squad votes on every year and once again they will have to select a new captain this time around.
MEN Sport surveyed readers as to who they think should be next to don the armband and 47.2 per cent of the 1,425 voters opted for Ruben Dias. The centre-back is younger than the more experienced contenders but has proven his leadership credentials since his arrival, especially last season.
City were struggling at the beginning of 2023 but the centre-back's return to action after injury in February coincided with the side's dramatic improvement in form. In fact, City have not lost in 2023 when Dias has played.
It's clear his heart-on-the-sleeve, heroic defending as well as his organisation is missed when Dias is unavailable and he would be a great long-term contender to skipper the side.
Perhaps the favourite to get the armband is Kevin De Bruyne and he was the second most popular option in the poll with 34.9 per cent of the vote. The brilliant Belgian has often served as vice-captain and as one of the best and most senior members of the squad would be an obvious pick.
Rodri finished third with 13.8 per cent, followed by Kyle Walker with 3.1 per cent while the remaining votes went to other candidates.
