Manchester City will face Weda Athletic at Lincoln Financial Field in the first round of the 2025 Club World Cup Group G. When talking about the new captain, Guardiola said that Haaland must continue to learn from senior players and believes that the striker will become the captain of the team in the future.

In January of this year, the 24-year-old Norwegian striker Haaland renewed his contract with Manchester City until 2034. Haaland contributed 22 goals and 3 assists to Manchester City in the 2024/25 Premier League season and is also a very important member of Manchester City.

Manchester City coach Guardiola said, "I am the coach. This season is the first time in my coaching career that I decide who will be the captain. I don't like what happened last season, so this year I decide who will represent the team. I have selected four captains, and after the World Club Cup, we may select one or two more captain candidates."

“Haaland is still young but he has to start learning what it means to be captain because he is expected to be here for many years and sooner or later he will be the team's number one. He will learn a lot when he has the example of Bernardo Silva, Dias and Rodri around him, and Gundogan, who was unparalleled in those two years when we won the treble.

Guardiola pointed out, "Especially since he is already a highly respected and very important figure in the team, his performance on the field is self-evident. Considering the future, he must learn what is most important for the team. Being a captain sometimes seems complicated, but it is actually very simple."

"As a captain, you must always put the team and your teammates before yourself and constantly ask what is best for the team. When you always act in the best interests of the team, you will not make the wrong decision."

In addition, Guardiola also said, "This is what the captain needs to do. Bernardo Silva, who has played for 9 years, is our role model. He always stands up in difficult moments and is a role model on the court. When necessary, he will also tell me the players' opinions directly. The same goes for Diaz and Rodri. They will lead the new players to face problems that may arise during the season. This is always inevitable in a long season, but if they are there, everything will be fine."

"When times were bad or tough, they stepped up and said we must pull ourselves together and we cannot accept defeat. They took the lead and took responsibility, and that's why I chose them."