Ronald Araujo (Rivera, 1999) has lived a bittersweet season. On the one hand, he has experienced sporting successes and has been able to lift the League champion’s cup as captain. However, he had to stop due to mental health problems. Once overcome, he assures that it is one of the best decisions of his life. MARCA tells it all.
League and Super Cup: How do you rate the current season?
The truth is that it has been very good. We won two very nice titles. We worked on La Liga throughout the year and the Super Cup happened in a special way, beating our biggest rival. We missed winning the most important thing, which is the Champions League, but we are on the right track. We have a young team that is growing and sooner or later it will arrive.
What has been the key to so much superiority in the League?
The regularity. We were throughout the season. We became strong at home, with 19 wins in 19 games. We also win on fields where it is difficult to do so. But the key was consistency.
Ronald Araujo, captain of Barcelona.
What does it mean for you, at 27 years old, to be captain of Barcelona and lift the League trophy?
Pride. I feel privileged. It is tremendous to be captain of a team like Barcelona. It is true that it also entails a great responsibility, but I feel capable of carrying it.
Did that boy who was starting to play soccer in Uruguay dream of something like that?
Dream, one always dreams. If you like soccer since you were little, you dream of being a player and going far. But I never imagined this: arriving at a club like Barça, playing for the national team… I feel privileged.
The key to winning the League has been consistency and becoming strong at home
It hasn’t been a bed of roses, has it?
It wasn’t. I have lived through very complicated moments. Everything is the result of a lot of work and many efforts. But not only mine, but also my family and the people who accompanied me all those years. In my career there were always people who were key, giving me impetus when necessary. It hasn’t been easy, but that makes you value what you have now.
Did you go through hardships in those first moments in Rentistas or Boston River?
Yes of course. I lived through very hard moments. There are times when you sometimes lack food or others when you have injuries. But that makes you grow and value everything I have today. There were difficult moments. My parents always did everything they could to make sure we were well, but we had those needs. They tried to give you everything. There were times, for example, when my mother would go to bed without eating so that we could do so. These things teach you to value everything better and learn from them. I learned many things I do from them, from the effort they made, and that’s why I value everything much more.
When they told you that Barça wanted you, what did you think?
It was something very crazy. I was playing in Boston and doing well. I knew I had a chance to go to Europe. Crossing the pond is the dream of any player, but I never imagined it would be Barça. My representative called me—I remember it was a Thursday and I was taking a nap—and told me I had to go to Europe. “Where do I have to go?” I asked him. He told me that he couldn’t tell me because he hadn’t closed it yet and that, if he named me a large team and then it was a small one, he was going to kill him. So I traveled. I arrived in Madrid without knowing what my destination was.
Ronald Araujo, captain of Barcelona.
But he came to Barça B and rejected offers from other teams that played in the First Division. Weren’t you afraid of that risk?
He called me the next day and told me that Barça B was there, but that I had to decide because there were also other First Division teams interested, although they were not top teams. Furthermore, they paid a First Class salary, not like at Barça B. I never doubted it. If I had the opportunity to go to Barça, I had to go. It was the best club in the world and we had to try. On the other hand, if I did poorly, I would have other teams. If I chose another one and it didn’t work, I went back. I trusted myself and the work and, thank God, it turned out well.
How do you go from playing as a forward to being a center back?
It was a little strange and it happened little by little. Because I liked to play up front and score goals. But, as I grew older, they put me further behind. I came to First Division as a professional and the coach, in training, asked me if I could play center back for a while. I played 20 minutes and no one passed me. From there, I became a center back. I always remember what the coach told me: “If you want to play forward, you will be a normal footballer, but if you want to be a top player, you must be a central player.” And he convinced me. Then I started learning.
I do not blame the referees for the eliminations against Atlético
Did you work extra hours to learn how to play center back?
And I still do them now. I work a lot. God gave me a talent, but I must polish it, work on it and learn. That has been the key to getting where I am: not stopping working.
This season they have lost in the Cup and Champions League against Atlético, who has not won any title this year. What do the red and whites have that has them taken for granted?
Atlético is a great team, with top players. He is one of the greats in Europe. They were very close playoffs that were decided by details that they knew how to take advantage of. In the Cup we had the opportunity, at home, to be able to pass. In the Champions League we had many chances… It was very close, but they knew how to take advantage of those details and ended up passing.
Do you blame the referees for those two eliminations?
No. I don’t like to talk about referees. It is a difficult profession. We have to focus on what we have to improve, and not blame the referees.
Winning the League in our field against Madrid was the best and something historic
Winning the League, at the Camp Nou and against Madrid: is it the best?
I would say yes. It was a historic match because it had never happened like that.
Tell me now, in retrospect: did you prefer the corridor or winning the League like they did, in that match at the Camp Nou? What was the general feeling of the squad?
I prefer to win on the field, like we did. That was what I thought, because the locker room was a bit divided: there were some who wanted to be champions as soon as possible. I preferred to win on our field. And it was very nice to get it on our court.
By the way, did you really go to the movies the night of Espanyol-Real Madrid?
Yes, we saw the game there in case it happened. As happened with Arsenal, everyone was watching the City game. If we had been champions, it would be nice that we were all together.
Fights in the locker room are normal, the important thing is how they are managed
Madrid arrived in full storm with the fight between Valverde and Tchouaméni. Were you surprised, and even more so, that a compatriot of yours like Fede was involved?
These things always surprise you when they happen. But I really don’t know what happened. I read what people say, but more than reading it, I like to ask the person to find out what really happened. I cannot give explanations because I have not spoken to him about the matter. And when I see him, I don’t know if I’ll really ask him about it.
After that incident, many people have said that these are things that happen relatively frequently in locker rooms. Is that so?
You spend the entire year living together. And football has competitiveness, training, hookups, friction… These are things that happen. The important thing is how these situations are managed. That’s the key. But football fans know that this is quite normal.
Without giving names, can you tell me about a case?
I keep it for myself.
On a personal level, how are you feeling after a season that has not been easy on a personal level?
I feel very well and very happy. I enjoy playing football and training. I see things from another perspective. It has not been an easy season, in which I have had to assume another role, but I will tell you that it is one of the seasons in which I have learned and grown the most. I have been able to work on myself, I learned to see it differently and put things into perspective. I believe a lot in myself and I feel that my best years are coming.
I had been accumulating things for quite some time, without talking about them, keeping everything to myself, until there came a moment when I exploded.
How did you decide to stop after the game against Chelsea?
It was an accumulation of things. I knew something was wrong with me because I didn’t feel well. I wasn’t happy. In my house I was neither the husband nor the father they needed. I had been like this for quite some time, accumulating things, not talking about them, keeping everything to myself, until there came a moment when I exploded. It was that action against Chelsea that made me reconsider and realize that something was happening to me. I knew I needed help and work to get out of that difficult moment.
How does one explode?
They are things that come together. Not only at a football level, because there are also situations that come from childhood and grow. That action against Chelsea was key. Because I already had a card and I couldn’t go that way. It was evident that the head was not right. I remember that I went alone to the locker room and there I said: “Enough.” I realized that I needed to talk about it with my wife, with the club and ask for help. It has been the best or one of the best decisions of my life.
Soccer players spend hours and hours training on the field. Is your head poorly trained?
Definitely. There is very little training. More work should be done because the head is the key. I, for example, train a lot, I take care of my physique, but I was not taking care of the most important thing, which is the head, which rules above all. We have to invest much more in this issue because it will be good for the club as an institution and for the players to be well and be able to give their best. We have to talk more.
Now I am a different person; I enjoy playing football again, which is what I like the most, with my wife, my children and my friends
How did your teammates and Flick respond?
It was tremendous. I was very surprised because they took it in a very natural and respectful way. Deco, who was the first one I spoke to, Alejandro, Bojan, the president and all the people close to me behaved very well. I will always be grateful to them, to Barça and to my teammates, who have been key since I made the decision. They encouraged me, sent me messages and trusted me. It was very nice and a great motivation to move forward.
Since then, has Ronald Araujo changed?
I am another person. I enjoy playing football again, which is what I like the most. I enjoy with my wife, my children and my friends. I make everything much more relatable. I have grown a lot in this time. I firmly believe that great years are coming in my career.
Is there any chance of him leaving this summer or staying at Barcelona?
I have a contract until 2031, I have just renewed it and I am very happy in Barcelona.
Third day of the World Cup, Uruguay-Spain: how would you like to get to that match?
In the best possible way. It’s a nice game, against a great team. I want to arrive at a good time and with a good rhythm. I’m confident.
Are you capable of making a Spain eleven for that match?
Spain has great players, many of them in the club. I, personally, would put Gavi and ten others. That’s where it’s up to the coach to decide.
He will meet many teammates, but on the field, if Lamine leaves and you have to go in hard, you go in hard, right?
Each one defends his team and wants the best for it. After the game we are all friends, but there we are playing a World Cup. You have to give everything for the selection. We will see what circumstances arise, but always within respect and professionalism.
What options do both Uruguay and Spain have?
They are two great selections. Spain has just won the Euro Cup and has many options. She is one of the favorites to win the World Cup. But we also have our weapons and great players. We’re going with everything and we’re sure to surprise you.
