Ronald Araujo has spoken candidly about the toughest period of his career, revealing that stepping away from football to focus on his mental health “changed” his life.
The Barcelona defender appeared on the Spanish programme La Revuelta and reflected on a difficult spell marked by emotional exhaustion, loss of confidence and depression, admitting he no longer recognised himself either on or off the pitch.
“I feel good now, thank God,” Araujo explained. “2At a club like Barca, making the decision to stop was very difficult. I had been carrying things for a long time. For around a year and a half, I didn’t feel like myself anymore. On the pitch, I didn’t feel like the player I used to be.”
The Uruguayan centre-back described how years of internal pressure and unresolved personal issues eventually pushed him to the breaking point.
“I kept everything inside. Childhood issues resurfaced, and it all became too much. I reached a moment where I wasn’t enjoying football anymore, but I also wasn’t happy at home with my daughters. That’s when I realised I needed help.”
Araujo admitted that asking for professional support proved to be the turning point. “I raised my hand and said something was wrong. I started working with professionals and they helped me enormously.
“I learned to express myself and open up to the people close to me. I’m genuinely happy I made that decision because it changed my life.”
The defender also briefly addressed the recent training-ground clash involving fellow Uruguay international Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni at Real Madrid.
“Fede is a great person and a top professional. I don’t know exactly what happened, but of course we spoke about it at Barca because we were about to play El Clasico,” he said with a smile.
Despite previous speculation over his future, Araujo also reaffirmed his commitment to Barcelona. “I’ve already renewed my contract twice, including recently, and hopefully there will be another renewal in the future,” he stated.
Looking ahead to the 2026 World Cup, Araujo could potentially face Spain in the group stage, setting up a possible reunion with teammate Lamine Yamal.
“He’ll make it in time,” Araujo joked. “But if he plays in the third match, he’ll be facing Uruguay. We’re a country of three million people with four stars.”
