Few players in Hansi Flick’s squad have endured a more turbulent eighteen months than Ronald Araujo. A red card against Chelsea in a Champions League defeat at Stamford Bridge became the trigger point for a prolonged period of anxiety and emotional decline, and by early December 2025 Barcelona had formally granted him an indefinite leave of absence – confirming publicly that the matter was non-physical and entirely private. What had initially been attributed to gastroenteritis gradually revealed itself as something considerably more serious, with some reports in Spain suggesting at the time that his future at the club was genuinely in doubt.
As Marca has reported, Araujo addressed the full arc of that period – from the onset of his illness to his recovery and his outlook for the World Cup – in a wide-ranging interview with The Athletic conducted before he departed to join Uruguay’s squad in the United States. He is one of sixteen Barcelona internationals competing in this summer’s tournament across the three host nations.
Araujo was candid about recognising the problem early. “Sabía que algo no estaba bien,” he said – acknowledging that he knew something was wrong with him before the situation deteriorated further. He described the decision to approach the club as genuinely difficult: “No es fácil decirle a un club como el Barça: ‘Mira, me está pasando esto, necesito ayuda, necesito parar y alejarme’. Lo hice sin miedo. Estoy muy agradecido porque se lo tomaron muy en serio y me ayudaron muchísimo.” Barcelona arranged professional psychological support and gave him open-ended time away, with no return date imposed.
He also addressed the social media abuse directed at his family during his absence. Because he does not monitor his own accounts, those seeking to reach him shifted their attention elsewhere: “Como no podían meterse conmigo directamente porque no miro redes, buscaron otras formas.” The contrast with the reception he received inside the stadium was sharp. “Me emocionó mucho oírles cantar a los aficionados ‘Uruguayo, uruguayo’. Hay dos mundos: el de las redes, que es una locura, y el real.”
On his recovery, Araujo pointed to a combination of professional support and personal faith: “Mi fe ha sido clave. Reconectar con mi verdadero yo, reconectar con Dios. Eso ha sido fundamental, junto a la ayuda de profesionales.” During the period of leave, he travelled to Israel seeking clarity and peace of mind, with full club approval. The spiritual dimension of his recovery, he said, had been decisive.
His reduced playing time during 2025-26 has raised questions about his place in Flick’s defensive planning going forward, particularly as Flick has held individual meetings with players to determine their futures heading into next season. Araujo, however, was unambiguous about his intentions: “Me siento muy bien en Barcelona, estoy muy feliz aquí. No tengo miedo a quien tenga que enfrentar porque tengo mucha confianza en mí mismo. Creo que los mejores años están por venir y los afrontaré con una madurez renovada.”
Hopefully, the stability he has found – personally and institutionally – translates into the kind of consistent, commanding presence at centre-back that his talent has always promised, with the World Cup now offering him the platform to demonstrate that the recovery is complete.