Barca give Araujo indefinite leave

Ronald Araujo can no longer withstand the pressure. And we won’t be seeing him in a Barcelona shirt for some time. Maybe never again… depending on his mental state in the future. The Uruguayan center-back is not feeling well mentally and has requested to stop playing for Barcelona for a while. Araujo has been under public and fan criticism for a long time because of weaker performances, and everything crossed the line after last week’s match against Chelsea, in which he received a red card as captain. The Blues won 3–0, scoring the opening goal after poor reactions from Araujo and Kounde, and then Barcelona’s captain received a second yellow card in the 44th minute for a foul on Cucurella. Barca, down to ten men, conceded two more goals in the second half. That performance triggered a wave of criticism directed at Araujo—from the media to social networks, where things clearly got out of control.

Right after that match, Barca announced that Araujo wouldn’t play against Alaves over the weekend due to stomach problems, but it turned out the situation was much more serious. Coach Hansi Flick said this morning that Araujo would not be in contention for the game against Atletico “for personal reasons,” and Spanish media quickly uncovered what was going on. Araujo arrived at training with his agents but did not train—he instead had a conversation with the club management and the coaching staff. He admitted to them that he is not feeling well mentally because of the pressure he has been facing recently and asked the club to be excluded from the team indefinitely and not to be considered for selection. Although he feels fine physically, he is not able to mentally prepare for major challenges and believes that in such a state he would be a burden to the team, which he feels would be unfair to his teammates. Barcelona complied with his request and told him they are there for anything he needs. They relieved him of all obligations indefinitely so he can rest and recover mentally.

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When he first arrived in Barcelona’s senior team, Ronald Araujo looked like a defensive leader for the next decade—a cornerstone of the Blaugrana. And indeed, he was excellent in the center-back partnership with Christensen, and sometimes with Kounde. He commanded the defense, had some great one-on-one battles with Vinícius from Real Madrid, and even scored some important goals… However, the problems began after the match against Paris Saint-Germain in the spring of last year. In the Champions League quarterfinals against PSG, Barca had a 3–2 advantage from the first leg in Paris and were leading 1–0 in the return leg at home when Araujo received a completely unnecessary red card. Everything changed after that—PSG, led by the unstoppable Mbappe, won 4–1, eliminated Barcelona, and Araujo’s career began to decline.

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A months-long injury break followed, and Hansi Flick took over as Barcelona coach, completely reshaping the team’s defensive line. When Araujo returned, the Kubarsí–Martínez partnership was already well-established and accustomed to a high defensive line, which did not suit his style of play. Still, he slowly worked his way back into Flick’s plans and played in some important matches, but another traumatic night in the Champions League followed. In the second leg of the semifinal against Inter in Milan, Araujo came on in the 76th minute with his team leading 3–2, but played very poorly and was responsible for the goals scored by Acerbi and Frattesi that eliminated Barcelona.

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He started this season as a first-choice defender, but he was no longer the same player he once was. At times, he was even a substitute for Eric García, and then came another difficult Champions League night against Chelsea, in which he once again cost his team dearly. It’s clear that the public reaction was too harsh for the Uruguayan defender and that it all became too much for him, which led him to take extreme measures and withdraw from the team. Spanish media speculate that this could even mark the end of Araujo’s Barcelona career, and that there is a strong possibility he will change clubs in June 2026.

LA LIGA - MATCHDAY 19

Tuesday

23.00: (1.80) Barcelona (4.30) Atletico Madrid (4.15)

Wednesday

21.00: (4.70) Athletic Bilbao (3.70) Real Madrid (1.85)

***odds are subject to change***

*The games have been brought forward due to their overlap with Supercopa de Espana*