23-year-old Uruguayan defender Ronald Araujo had become a mainstay in the heart of the FC Barcelona defense over the last 2 seasons in particular, and it has been thanks to him that on multiple occasions the Catalans have managed to avoid conceding through the course of this season in particular.
Following a muscle injury that he suffered against Iran in September while representing his national team, Ronald Araujo had been sidelined since to enable him to make a recovery back to full fitness instead of needing to be risked. This even managed to cause a certain commotion between the Uruguayan head coaches and those in charge at Barcelona, as both sides argued regarding Araujo’s hypothetical ability, showcasing just incredibly vital he is to both his club and country.
Now, after a rather long stay away from football and following a testing time for Barcelona who were unable to perfectly replace their star defender’s presence in the heart of their defense, the Catalan’s defensive beacon returns in all his astounding glory.
Since his return, the Uruguayan has featured and started in 2 games in January, once against Intercity in the Copa Del Ray and just recently against Atletico Madrid in La Liga. FC Barcelona emerged as victors on both occasions, and much of the credit in both games goes to Araujo himself for keeping Barcelona in the lead.
Scoring as well as making a goal-line clearance against Intercity paired with a resounding performance throughout his time on the pitch, he followed that performance up with another immense one against Atletico. With another crucial goal-line clearance and a consistently towering defensive performance, Barcelona look to be on an utterly different level altogether whenever Ronald Araujo is available and fully fit for them.
At the young age that he is, Ronald Araujo continues to showcase maturity well and truly beyond his years, and amongst those that support the Catalans, there exists a united chatter about his future as a potential Barcelona captain already. If he continues these performances coupled with the undisputable leadership and character he possesses, there is no telling to what heights this gem of a defender can aspire to reach.
