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Barcelona center-back Ronald Araujo has admitted he’s been in a tense situation at the World Cup, as the Catalan giants and his national team Uruguay have clashed over his involvement in the tournament.
The center-back underwent surgery on a thigh injury in September that ruled him out of action for three months. However, he was called up by the Uruguay squad for the World Cup and flew out to Qatar with the team.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta said the situation was “very worrying,” and the fear within the club was that Araujo would rush his recovery and suffer a relapse that would see him sidelined again.
Araujo spoke to reporters after landing in Uruguay for a brief break and admitted it’s been a difficult time, according to Sport. He explained there had been “quite a lot of tension” and offered a bit of insight into his time in Qatar.
“It was obvious that Barcelona didn’t want me to force it, and the national team, within the (recovery) periods, wanted me to try and be there and help,” he said. “I sped up to get well and arrive at the next games, but unfortunately, it didn’t come to pass.”
Araujo did not play a single minute at the tournament as Uruguay failed to make it past the group stages, much to the relief of Barcelona you suspect. However, Araujo also revealed that he would have been fit to play if his team had made the knockout round.
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Araujo Sends Message To Fans
The Barcelona defender has sent out a message to fans, making plain his disappointment at going out of the World Cup and insisting he did everything he could to play at the tournament.
“The World Cup dream is over. I’m sad that I couldn’t help my teammates and my country on the pitch,” he wrote on Instagram. “Since I got injured, I did everything I could to try and recover and help the team. It was close, but it didn’t happen.”
Araujo’s World Cup dreams may be over for now but, at 23, the center-back is likely to have more opportunities to play in the tournament for Uruguay in the future.
Barca Need Araujo Back
Barcelona will hope to have Araujo back fully fit and ready to go when La Liga resumes at the end of December. The center-back is one of the first names on Xavi’s teamsheet when fit but injury means he’s only made six league appearances so far this season.
The Catalans have been impressive defensively this season even without Araujo, and have the best record in the Spanish top flight. Xavi’s side have only conceded five goals in 14 league games which has helped them to the top of the table.
Xavi will be hoping his team can continue that form after the World Cup and challenge Real Madrid for the league title. The return of Araujo will be a big boost to his team and will strengthen an already strong backline
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