From Hugo Souza to Garro: captaincy rotates at Corinthians in 2026 | OneFootball

The 2026 season began with Corinthians rotating the captain’s armband among different players. With Fernando Diniz’s arrival as head coach, however, that changed. Rodrigo Garro took on the role permanently and became the team’s main leader on the pitch.

Besides the Argentine midfielder, three other players also wore the armband throughout the year: goalkeeper Hugo Souza and center-backs Gustavo Henrique and André Ramalho. Each earned that role for different reasons and plays a specific part in the squad’s dynamics.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Ag. Corinthians

Among the current captains, Garro and Gustavo Henrique are the longest-serving players at the club. Both arrived at Parque São Jorge at the start of 2024. The Argentine came in as one of the board’s main investments after standing out for Talleres, while Gustavo Henrique was signed to strengthen the defense and add experience to the group during António Oliveira’s spell in charge.

At that time, squad leadership was shared by Cássio, Fagner, and Ángel Romero. A few months later, Cássio and Fagner left Corinthians to join Cruzeiro, while Romero remained one of the group’s main leaders.

With Ramón Díaz’s arrival as head coach, the Paraguayan forward became the team’s main captain, with Fagner serving as his immediate replacement when needed.

The situation changed again during the second half of 2024. In the middle of the fight against relegation in the Brazilian Championship, Corinthians reshaped part of the squad and signed Hugo Souza and André Ramalho. At the same time, Romero and Fagner lost their places in the starting lineup.

Given that context, Ramón Díaz chose to hand the armband to Hugo Souza. The coach saw the goalkeeper as an important leader both for his performances on the field and for the influence he had over the rest of the group. Alongside Romero, Hugo lifted the 2025 Campeonato Paulista trophy won against Palmeiras.

Another change came in April 2025, when Dorival Júnior took charge of the team. After a rule change introduced by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), which allowed only the captain to speak with the referees during matches, the coach decided to give the armband to Gustavo Henrique. The reason was to make communication with the officials easier through an outfield player.

During Dorival’s time at the club, which ended in early March 2026, Gustavo Henrique established himself as one of the squad’s main leaders. Even so, in some matches he shared the responsibility with players strongly identified with Corinthians, such as Maycon and Ángel Romero.

In the 2025 Copa do Brasil title run, for example, Gustavo Henrique gave up lifting the trophy alone and made a point of sharing the moment with Maycon and Romero after the 2-1 win over Vasco at the Maracanã.

With Maycon and Romero leaving at the end of that season, Gustavo Henrique took on an even bigger role within the group. Shortly afterward, alongside Hugo Souza and Rodrigo Garro, he lifted the 2026 Supercopa do Brasil trophy, won with a 2-0 victory over Flamengo.

With Romero no longer in the squad, Garro naturally began taking on a leadership role among the foreign players, especially those who speak Spanish. Besides being the longest-serving non-Brazilian player in the group, the midfielder also began exerting influence off the pitch.

Fernando Diniz quickly noticed that profile. Since arriving at Corinthians in April, the coach has restored Garro to the starting lineup and named the Argentine the team’s fixed captain.

In the 16 matches played under Diniz, Garro wore the armband 14 times. The only exceptions came when he started on the bench by decision of the coaching staff, in which case Gustavo Henrique took over the role.

Throughout the season, Hugo Souza was captain in two matches, while André Ramalho wore the armband only once. At 34, the defender is internally regarded as an important leader because of the experience he gained in European football and usually takes on that responsibility when Corinthians fields alternative lineups.

While going through its mid-season training period, the squad continues preparing for the friendly against FC Cascavel, scheduled for next Sunday at 4 p.m. at the Estádio Olímpico Regional in Paraná. After that, Corinthians will face important fixtures in the Brazilian Championship as well as in the round of 16 of the Copa do Brasil and the Libertadores, against Internacional and Argentina’s Rosario Central, respectively.

With Rodrigo Garro established as captain by Fernando Diniz’s decision, Timão will wrap up its preparations and return to official action on July 23 at 7:30 p.m. against Remo at Neo Química Arena in the 19th round of the Brazilian Championship.

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