"At Stamford Bridge, with the captain's armband on his sleeve and Barcelona desperately trying to survive Chelsea's suffocating press, Ronald Araujo made a horrendous decision that he will see in his sleep for years to come. A mistimed step, a poorly judged lunge, and a second yellow card in a matter of minutes, and once again he left his team to chase a Champions League night with 10 men."
"Fast, aggressive, dominant in the air and fearless in duels, he grew from a raw kid from Boston River into the man Xavi labelled "the present and future of Barcelona" and "one of the best centre-backs in the world". Even rivals have admitted as much. Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Jr. named the 26-year-old as the footballer who defended him the best and described him as "very good and very strong"."
Ronald Araujo received a second yellow at Stamford Bridge after a mistimed step and poor lunge, leaving Barcelona to chase a Champions League match with ten men. Many supporters view the red card as the culmination of recurring continental mistakes and a turning point in faith toward the centre-back. The incident has provoked debate over whether Barcelona should continue to build their defence around Araujo or consider selling while his value may be depressed. Araujo earned a strong reputation early on for speed, aggression, aerial dominance and fearlessness, won a captaincy role through attitude and influence, and received public endorsements from Xavi and rival players. Barcelona doubled down on their belief in Araujo in January 2025.
Read at Barca Universal
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