Barcelona Defender Ronald Araújo Takes Time for Mental Health Recovery

Barcelona has allowed defender Ronald Araújo to take a break as he works through mental health challenges that have affected his performance this season, as confirmed by a source to ESPN.

At 26 years old, Araújo has made 15 appearances for Barcelona across all competitions this season. His most recent game concluded with a red card during last week’s 3-0 Champions League defeat to Chelsea. Following this, he missed the weekend’s 3-1 victory over Alavés, with the club initially citing a stomach bug as the reason for his absence.

Ahead of Tuesday’s La Liga match against Atlético Madrid, Barcelona’s coach Hansi Flick indicated that the Uruguayan international is facing personal issues. According to an ESPN source, while Araújo’s physical condition remains sound, he has been struggling mentally and has requested some time off from the club for his recovery.

The source sought to clarify the circumstances to prevent any misinterpretation of Flick’s earlier comments. “Ronald is not ready at the moment,” stated the German coach during a news conference. “It’s a private situation. I don’t want to say more. Please respect it. This is what I can say and what I want to say.”

Araújo has been with Barcelona since 2018, initially joining the B team before advancing to the first team. He has since made 190 appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring 12 goals, and is now part of the leadership group alongside Marc-André ter Stegen, Frenkie de Jong, Raphinha, and Pedri.