Ronald Araujo big interview: Next season we will win trophies at Barça

Barcelona will finish the season with no titles. Xavi’s team fought to reach the Champions League and it seems they will, and there are a few other positives - like the consolidation of Ronald Araujo in the centre of defence. His excellent season has earned him a contract until 2026.

You had very important offers but decided to continue at Barça.

That has always been my wish. Renewal is a huge happiness. I am at the best club in the world and it is the reward for a job well done. The club's confidence in me means I'm doing things right.

At the renewal event you became emotional.

My whole family was there and I was moved. We have been through a lot. My parents had to sacrifice a lot for me to achieve my dream of being a footballer. I hope I still have ten or fifteen years left in my career, but now I have fulfilled my first dream, being at the best club in the world.

Is it a triumph of the whole family?

Of course. Without my parents I wouldn't have made it. Nor without my grandmother, who is no longer with us. She took me to my train when my parents couldn't. We are a humble family. Now I have a contract with Nike, but when I started, my mother had to pay for some boots in installments so that I could play.

You started playing in the street.

Yes, in the fields, making the goals with whatever you could, but when I was five years old my mother already took me to Huracán because she saw that it was what I liked the most, playing football. The whole family has been Huracán fans all our lives. My mother later worked and helped at the club, they always go to the stadium and take my brother and my cousin to play. On the street you learn a lot. It makes you strong. You hurt your finger hitting the ground, but you heal up and continue playing. It's a good school.

And you had a premature debut in the first team.

At thirteen years old. My parents were scared because I was going to play with men. I remember that my father made me a bandage so that they would not hurt me. Everything went well, I even scored a free-kick. When I came on we were losing and ended up winning.

Because you started playing as a striker.

Yes, I played up front, I scored goals, although in that game they placed me behind the forwards. Since I was little, they made me take the free kicks and corners.

In those years, you could have gone to Boca Juniors.

When I was nine years old I went with Danubio to play some friendlies in Buenos Aires. They noticed me and wanted to sign me. My parents wanted me to have the experience, but they thought I was too young. They wanted me to be close to them and to study.

But at 16 you did go to Montevideo.

I was more mature. I already cooked, I already took care of my brother, I did things at home when my parents went to work. I was more independent and they saw that I was ready to go and fulfill my dream, which was to be a footballer.

You played for Rentistas and Boston River. It was all very fast.

Very. Five months in the youth team and I was promoted to the first team and a year later I went to Boston River, which was a top flight side.

Sergio Cabrera appeared for you Montevideo, a very important coach in your career.

Yes, the father of Leandro Cabrera, the Espanyol player. He told me that if I continued to play up front, I would be one more player, but if I played at the back, I would be a great footballer, who would play at an elite level. And he was right.

Evidently, because Barça soon called.

That was incredible. I was at a small team. I was thinking of making the leap to a great Uruguayan team or another South American team. With that I was satisfied, but I remember that one Thursday, when I was preparing for a match against Peñarol, they called me my representative, who was in Europe. He told me that I had to come quickly without telling me where. On Sunday I arrived in Madrid. I had some offers from other Primera clubs, but he told me that Barça also wanted me to play for the B team. And I didn't doubt it. Barca is Barca. And it was the best decision I made at the time.

Was the figure of Ramon Planes very important at that time?

Very. When I arrived and things didn't quite go well, I didn't play and doubts arose, Ramon was always there. He always said that I would make it to the first team, that I would be a great footballer, he always supported me, chatted with me and always helped me.

And he was right. How can you be so fast at over 1.90m tall?

It is a decision of God. It's weird because I'm 1.91 and weigh 94 kilos. I think it must have helped me that when I was little I did athletics. I ran, did relays, also long jump.

How do you remember your debut in the first team against Sevilla, was it a bittersweet debut?

Not at all. It is true that I was sent off, but that was something tremendous. You don't make your debut every day at Barça. I was very happy. There were friends who reminded me of the expulsion, but I told them to congratulate me, that what I was experiencing was incredible. The red card hurt, but it ended up being a mere anecdote.

How do you rate these two seasons in the first team?

On a personal level, very good. Learning from high-level players. Leo was there, Luis Suárez was there, incredible footballers. There is a difference. At B, you have fewer spaces, but in the top flight you play against higher quality footballers. You must be very focused, and not fail. I've already played more than 75 games at Barça and shown that they can count on me. In addition, we have gone through hard times, last season and at the beginning of the current one, but all this will serve me well in the future.

What summary do you make of this season that will end without trophies?

It's been a bit of a weird season. We started very badly, but with the arrival of Xavi we changed. We changed mentally, we changed the way of working. The group was better, we have grown a lot and we have shown what we can achieve by winning the game at the Bernabéu, winning well in Naples. It is true that in recent games we have not been able to play great football, but we are in a process of change. We have a high-quality squad, with very young people, mixed with veterans. I believe a lot in the project, in the squad we have. I am convinced that next season we will have a great year and win titles. It has been hard, but it will serve as a lesson for the next one.

So you see a great future.

I am sure that we will win titles next year. Youngsters will already have more experience and we are already working for it.

By the way, did you see Real Madrid-Manchester City?

Yes. Congratulations to Real Madrid for what they did, nothing else to say.