Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi said it is a great honour to be named as the captain of Barcelona and promised to bring the Champions League trophy back to Camp Nou.
Football news: Messi felt greatly honoured to receive the armband for Barcelona and hoped to lead the club to glory
Messi followed in the footsteps of Andres Iniesta, Xavi and Carlos Puyol and said that the legendary trio has taught him many things during their tenure as captains.
Messi took over the role from former captain Iniesta, who has departed for the Japanese club Vissel Kobe earlier this season.
Messi already captains his national team, although there are some reports that he might soon step down from international duty.
The new Barcelona captain gave the traditional captain’s address to all the fans present at Camp Nou ahead of the Joan Gamper Trophy clash with Boca Juniors on Wednesday.
"First of all, I want to say that for me it is a great pride to be the captain," Messi said.
"I know what it means to be the captain of Barca, but I had great teachers like Puyol, Xavi and the great Andres, who we will miss this year."
Messi wants to make amends regarding the previous year shocking loss to Roma, as they collapsed from 4-1 lead in the first leg and exited the quarter-final stage on away goals.
"Regarding this year, I think we have set a platform to get excited, the signings that came will help us a lot to be better than we were.
"Although last year we won La Liga and the Copa del Rey, we all got stung in the Champions League.
"We promise that we will do everything possible so that this beautiful cup returns to the Camp Nou again."