It does seem odd contemplating whether your club captain will be a mainstay of the starting XI, but given what’s happened over the past 12 months, it’s a question worth asking of Ronald Araujo.
The Uruguayan has spoken openly about his mental health issues, which the club quite rightly gave him time off to deal with.
Above anything else, a player’s health, whether mental or physical, is paramount.
If neither is at their best level, then a spell on the sidelines is not only necessary but needed to aid
their recovery.
In terms of a player’s form, however, that’s a part of their game which, if consistently not good, can see them consigned to the substitutes’ bench.
Of course, issues away from the pitch could be as much a cause of the loss of form as anything else, making it a real double-edged sword.
The club have seemingly been understanding, open and honest in their dealings with the centre-back to this point, giving him minutes when appropriate whilst also ensuring they remain competitive.
With Andreas Christensen set to sign a new two-year deal at a vastly reduced salary, however, the Dane gives Hansi Flick yet another option in central defence, alongside Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin and Eric Garcia.
Should Joao Cancelo be signed and considered the preferred right-back, we can add Jules Kounde to the list of players who can play as a centre-back, making Araujo’s attempts to earn a starting place that much more difficult.
The Uruguayan does bring an awful lot to his role, including leadership qualities, pace, power, aerial ability and occasional goalscoring, and that shouldn’t simply be dismissed out of hand either.
Despite the odd error, he remains a quality player, and at 27 years of age, still has an awful long time left in the game – at the top level. Yet his injury record is also something of a worry, with the defender’s latest setback meaning he didn’t play a single minute for Uruguay at World Cup 2026.
The question that the Barcelona board need to ask themselves is whether he is still good enough for the Blaugranes, be that as a starter or otherwise.
Clearly, it’s incumbent on the player to do the work to make the starting XI in any event, but given the plethora of options available to Flick, there’s a cogent argument to be made for the club to potentially cash in at this point.
The player’s own wishes should still be taken into account before any transfer discussions begin, and with reports suggesting that Araujo doesn’t intend to leave the club, one must assume that any attempt to ease him out of the exit door will be met with stubborn resistance.
So today’s Barca Blaugranes Question of the Day is:
Do you think Ronald Araujo can force his way back into the starting XI at Barcelona?
Now it’s over to you! Feel free to share your thoughts, predictions, opinions and answers in the comments section below!
