Ronald Araujo delivered one of his most open and entertaining interviews in recent memory during an appearance on La Revuelta, where the Barcelona captain discussed everything from the club’s successful season to his difficult personal struggles away from football.
The Uruguayan defender appeared relaxed throughout the interview with host David Broncano, exchanging jokes about Barcelona’s rivalry with Real Madrid while also touching on serious moments from the past year.
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After Broncano reminded him that Atletico Madrid had knocked Barcelona out of the Champions League, Araujo immediately fired back with a sharp response that quickly caught attention online.
“What good did that do? You ended up with nothing,” replied the Barcelona defender.
The 27-year-old also reflected on the changes modern football has gone through defensively, explaining how difficult it has become for defenders in the VAR era.
“Before VAR, you could step on a forward a little, give a pinch, but now everything is visible,” he joked.
Araujo reacts to Real Madrid feud
One of the most talked-about moments of the interview arrived when Araujo was asked about the recent dressing room incident involving fellow Uruguayan Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni at Real Madrid.
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The Barcelona captain avoided criticising his national teammate directly but admitted the situation became a talking point inside the Barça dressing room before El Clasico.
“I didn’t watch Florentino’s press conference. Fede is a great professional and a great person. I don’t know what happened; I’ll ask him on the national team.
“Did we talk about it at Barça? Of course—we were playing El Clásico next. Any trouble with our eternal rival always works in our favour.”
Failing to reach the objective
The centre-back also made it clear that he remains fully committed to Barcelona despite enduring a frustrating campaign personally.
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Injuries, loss of rhythm and reduced playing time all affected his season under Hansi Flick, but Araujo insisted he still sees his long-term future at the club.
“I’ve renewed twice with Barça since I debuted, and I think I have one more renewal left,” he said.
The defender also admitted the squad had hoped to reach a century of points in La Liga before eventually falling short.
“We wanted to reach 100 points in La Liga, but it wasn’t possible.”
On mental health
While much of the interview included humour and football banter, the most powerful part came when Araujo spoke honestly about the mental health struggles that forced him to step away from football temporarily last season.
The Barcelona defender revealed how years of emotional pressure eventually became impossible to contain, leading him to seek professional help after feeling disconnected both on and off the pitch.
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“I decided to stop. I hadn’t seen it in elite football before I did it. There are still many taboos, but in a team like Barça, making this decision was hard, but important.”
He then gave an emotional insight into how deeply the situation had affected him personally.
“I’d been bottling this up for a long time. On the field, I didn’t feel like myself. Everything got a little mixed up, and things just kept piling up.”
The defender also admitted he struggled to openly communicate his feelings for years.
“I kept practically everything to myself, but eventually I just snapped. I didn’t feel like myself, either at home or on the football field.”
Thankfully, Araujo says seeking professional support completely changed his life.
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“I reached out and asked for professional help; they helped me a lot—I was able to talk, express myself, and heal.”
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