FC Barcelona and Real Madrid share a historical rivalry that is clearly one of the fiercest in the world. As a result, matches between the two sides are always very special, and the upcoming Super Cup final on Sunday will also be an enticing event.
On the pitch, one aspect of this rivalry between the two sides has also resulted in some competition between specific players. In recent years, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo competed for the status of the best players in the world, which gave another particular taste to the Clasicos.
Now, another rivalry is developing between a Barcelona and a Real Madrid player, i.e., Ronald Araujo and Vinicius Junior. Both the players have developed into some of the best in their positions in recent years, and the rivalry between them has been a particularly engaging aspect of the matches between the two teams.
Araujo is the most likely to start at the right-back spot, and as SPORT has noted, this will be the seventh time that Vinicius and Araujo face each other.
The first time that the two players faced off was in La Liga 2021-22 match, which Barcelona won 4-0. Xavi decided to play Araujo on the right flank instead of Dani Alves, and Vinicius was barely able to touch the ball in that match. Araujo also scored the second goal in that match.
Then Araujo once again marked Vinicius in the final of the Spanish Super Cup last year. Barcelona won that match 3-1, and the Brazilian was once again unable to do much on the pitch.
It was the same story when the two teams met in the Copa del Rey 2022-23 semi-finals first leg. Barcelona got an unexpected 1-0 victory, with Araujo once again keeping Vinicius tightly under control.
In the La Liga 2022-23 match in March 2023, Vinicius was able to trouble the Uruguayan center-back for the first time. Barcelona won the match 2-1, but Araujo was not as impeccable, and also scored an own goal in that match.
The second leg of the previously mentioned Copa del Rey semi-final saw Real Madrid emerge as 4-0 victors, with Karim Benzema scoring a hat-trick. The duel between Vinicius and Araujo was rather mixed, with the Brazilian getting the better of the defender at times.
The last match between the two sides was the La Liga game in the 2023-24 season, which the Merengues won 2-1. Araujo kept the Brazilian quiet for most time, but started to struggle in the latter parts of the game.
