After Sunday’s Supercopa de Espana victory over Real Madrid, Ronald Araujo was the last Barcelona player to go up and collect a winner’s medal.
Moments earlier, celebrations over the 3-2 success against their Clasico rivals saw the entire Barca squad gather around him, the Uruguayan defender repeatedly thrown up into the air by jubilant team-mates who wanted to put him front and centre.
Barca president Joan Laporta was standing next to his Real Madrid counterpart Florentino Perez on the podium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. When Araujo went past, he offered him a long embrace.
The 26-year-old then went to pick up the trophy, and across to where the Barca players were waiting, before lifting the first silverware of the Spanish football season, the Catalan side’s fourth consecutive domestic trophy.
It was an emotional moment. Araujo was back — following one of the most difficult periods of his career.
Barcelona have now won four consecutive Spanish domestic trophies (Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
After Barcelona’s 3-0 defeat by Chelsea in the Champions League on November 25, Araujo did not return to training. At first, it was said that he had the flu. Days passed, and he did not come back.
In that Chelsea game, Araujo was sent off for two yellow-card offences before half-time. He was targeted for criticism for his role in the defeat — both on social media and in the press.
He also suffered a lot of hate after last season’s Champions League semi-finals, when he was beaten by Francesco Acerbi for Inter’s 93rd-minute equaliser in a second leg the Italians went on to win in extra time. Without Acerbi’s goal, Barcelona would have gone through to the final.
The Champions League is the competition Barca fans are most desperate to win again, having last claimed the title in 2015. In the 2023-2024 season, Araujo was also singled out for blame after he was sent off in the 29th minute of their quarter-final second leg at home to Paris Saint-Germain. Barca won the first leg in Paris 3-2, but ended up losing the return tie 4-1.
On December 1, a week after the match at Stamford Bridge, Araujo’s agents Edoardo Mazzolari and Edoardo Crnjar met with Barca’s sporting director Deco. They explained that Araujo did not feel strong enough to be 100 per cent with the team. They agreed on an indefinite leave of absence.
As has been explained to The Athletic by sources with intimate knowledge of the situation, who confirmed Araujo was comfortable with the issue being shared publicly, he was suffering from anxiety and needed time to find himself.
Barca showed him the utmost support, asking for respect while he was away and closing ranks around him. He was told to take as much time as he needed.
A few days later, he travelled to the Middle East. Araujo is a deeply religious person, a Christian. He wanted to visit holy sites in Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
The only public comment Araujo has made on the subject came after Sunday’s win over Real Madrid, when he posted on social media: “I learned that stopping at the right time is self-love.
“Taking care of your mind and heart is not giving up, it is trusting that God works even in silence. Stopping renewed me and allowed me to come back stronger. The process was not easy, but coming back like this is a privilege.”
After three days away from Barcelona he travelled back to Spain. Then, with La Liga pausing over Christmas, he went back to Uruguay to join his family, as he does every year.
There, he hired a physical trainer and a personal coach to try to ensure that his time away would not take a toll on his performance. There was a training plan from Barca, too.
In the run-up to Christmas, Araujo spoke to Barca manager Hansi Flick and they agreed that he would return on December 29, when the rest of his team-mates were due to rejoin after the week-long break.
Barcelona fans with a message that translates as: ‘Keep your spirits up, Ronald’ (David Ramos/Getty Images)
Barcelona’s first training session back after Christmas is always held in front of a crowd, mostly children and their families, so Araujo’s return took place in public view.
He had doubts over whether he would be able to complete the session, as he had been training alone for almost a month. He finished it with no issues, while fans in the stands chanted their support. He wasn’t quite ready to play again yet, but it was an important step.
“Araujo is fine, perhaps not 100 per cent physically, but he is fine,” said Flick in a press conference on January 2, before the derby against Espanyol the following day.
“He is the one who has to decide how quickly he wants to return.”
Araujo missed the 2-0 win over their city rivals, but with the Supercopa in Saudi Arabia on the horizon, he and Flick spoke again.
The coach had told him that when he felt comfortable, he should raise his hand and let him know when he was ready to rejoin the team for a matchday squad. Flick asked Araujo if he wanted to make the trip.
The player felt that staying behind would be a step backwards. He asked to travel so that he could take part in group training sessions, even if he did not get to play.
That was the only objective. No one expected him to play, if he did not feel ready. But his progress was positive and, after the 5-0 win against Athletic Club in the semi-finals, Flick asked him if he felt capable of being included in the squad for a Clasico final against Real Madrid.
Araujo was named as a substitute. There was still no real expectation he would take part but, as one of the team’s leaders, he wanted to deliver the pre-match speech in the dressing room.
He felt part of the group and wanted to contribute. His speech moved his team-mates. He told them that he was back thanks to them and their support, how proud he was of the season they were having and the importance of bringing joy to the fans.
“Let’s continue making history,” he concluded.
Then, Araujo’s moment came. With Frenkie de Jong sent off in the 91st minute, Flick needed to make a tactical readjustment. For the final frantic moments of stoppage time, Araujo came on to help see his side over the line.
It was an important Barca victory, but one that meant more to Araujo than anyone else.
