After Hjulmand exit, Sporting may already have picked new captain | OneFootball

Morten Hjulmand’s departure to Atlético Madrid forces Sporting to choose a new captain for the 2026/27 season. At this point, Gonçalo Inácio is emerging as the leading candidate to inherit the armband and take on an even more important role in the Lions’ dressing room.

Everything points to him being Rui Borges’ choice to lead the team when they return to work.

Until then, Pedro Gonçalves and Daniel Bragança are expected to share that responsibility during the preparation matches at the training camp in Lagos. Both are part of the team’s group of captains, at a time when the squad is going through a period of renewal following several important departures.

Francisco Trincão was also seen as one of the candidates for the role, but his increasingly likely move to Al Ahli leaves Gonçalo Inácio as the strongest name to take over Sporting’s leadership for good.

In the 2025/26 season, Gonçalo Inácio - valued at €40 million - once again proved to be one of Sporting’s key pillars. The green-and-white centre-back played 4,006 minutes across 46 matches, in which he managed three goals and three assists.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.