_45_(cropped).jpg) Araújo playing forBarcelona in 2021 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ronald Federico Araújo da Silva[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1999-03-07)7 March 1999 (age 26)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Rivera, Uruguay | ||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[3] | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back,right-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Barcelona | ||
| Number | 4 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2012–2015 | Huracán de Rivera | ||
| 2015–2016 | Rentistas | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2017 | Rentistas | 17 | (7) |
| 2017–2018 | Boston River | 27 | (0) |
| 2018–2020 | Barcelona B | 42 | (6) |
| 2019– | Barcelona | 114 | (8) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2017–2018 | Uruguay U18 | 6 | (1) |
| 2018–2019 | Uruguay U20 | 12 | (2) |
| 2020– | Uruguay | 21 | (1) |
Medal record | |||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:55, 5 April 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 07:00, 22 March 2025 (UTC) | |||
Ronald Federico Araújo da Silva (born 7 March 1999) is an Uruguayan professionalfootballer who plays primarily as acentre-back forLa Liga clubBarcelona and theUruguay national team. Considered one of the best defenders in the world, Araújo is known for his physical dominance, exceptional aerial ability, pace, tactical intelligence, and calmness under pressure. Primarily acentre-back, he is also capable of playing as aright-back on occasion.[4][5]
Born to a Uruguayan father and a Brazilian mother inRivera, a city near the Brazilian border,[6][7][8] Araújo joinedRentistas from hometown club Huracán de Rivera.[9] He made his senior debut with the former on 24 September 2016, coming on as a latesubstitute in a 1–0Segunda División away win againstTacuarembó.
Araújo scored his first senior goal on 9 December 2016, netting the equaliser in a 2–2 home draw againstCentral Español. He became a regular starter during the 2017 season, and scored ahat-trick in a 3–2 away win overVilla Española on 17 June of that year.[10]
It was at Rentistas that Araújo made the significant switch in position from forward to defender.[11]
On 28 July 2017, Araújo joinedPrimera División sideBoston River.[12] He made his debut in the category on 18 September, replacingMaximiliano Sigales late into a 1–0 home success overEl Tanque Sisley.[13]
On 29 August 2018, Araújo signed a five-year contract withFC Barcelona for a fee of€1.7 million, plus €3.5 million in variables; he was initially assigned tothe reserves inSegunda División B.[14] He made his first team – andLa Liga – debut on 6 October of the following year, coming off the bench to replaceJean-Clair Todibo in the 73rd minute of a 4–0 home win againstSevilla; however, he was sent off in the 86th minute for foulingJavier Hernández.[15]
For the2020–21 season, Araújo was promoted to the main squad, being handed the number 4 jersey, which was previously worn byIvan Rakitić.[16] On 19 December 2020, he scored his firstLa Liga goal for Barcelona in a 2–2 home draw againstValencia.[17]
On 20 March 2022, Araújo scored his first goal inEl Clásico, heading in a corner fromOusmane Dembélé in a 4–0 away victory against the league leaders atSantiago Bernabéu.[18]
For the first 21 league games of the2022–23 season, Araújo formed a defensive partnership alongsideAndreas Christensen and occasionallyJules Koundé at centre-back, helping Barcelona keep the most clean sheets (16) in all ofEurope's top 5 leagues.[19]
On 21 July 2023, Barcelona announced Araújo as the club's third captain.[20] On 4 November 2023, he scored his first goal of the2023–24 season in the 92nd minute of stoppage time in a 1–0 away win overReal Sociedad.[21]
On 16 April 2024, Araújo received a straight red card for foulingBradley Barcola in the first-half of Barcelona's Champions League quarter-final second leg match againstParis Saint-Germain which shifted the momentum in PSG's favor, turning the tide of the match despite Barcelona's two goal lead and eventually ended up losing 4–1 on the night, and 6–4 on aggregate.[22][23][24] On 23 January 2025, he extended his contract with the club until 2031.[25]
After representingUruguay atunder-18 andunder-20 levels, Araújo received his first call up for the senior side on 5 October 2020, for two2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers againstChile andEcuador.[26]
He made his full international debut eight days later, starting in a 2–4 loss against the latter.[27]
In June 2021, Araújo was included in the final 26-man Uruguay squad for the2021 Copa América in Brazil, but he didn't feature in any of Uruguay's five games in the tournament while also suffering a muscle injury.[28]
Despite nursing an injury, Araújo was included in the Uruguay squad for the2022 FIFA World Cup, having expected a recovery during the knockout phase.[29] However, he did not make an appearance as Uruguay were eliminated in the group stage.[30]
On 16 November 2023, he scored his first goal with the national team againstArgentina in the2026 FIFA World Cup qualification fifth round atLa Bombonera inBuenos Aires. In the 41st minute, Araújo received the ball after aMatías Viña's low cross into the penalty box and beat Argentine keeperEmiliano Martínez with a shot from the right side of the goal to the bottom left corner.[31]
Originally a striker, Araújo's physicality made his youth coaches move him to centre-back at age 17.[32] Primarily a right-footed centre-back, Araújo is also comfortable playing as a right-back, a role in which he has been deployed on occasion to counter skilled wingers. Known for his defensive solidity, Araújo excels in one-on-one duels and has an ability to time his challenges effectively. His pace and athleticism allow him to recover quickly and cover large spaces, making him an invaluable asset in high defensive lines.[33]
Brazilian wingerVinícius Júnior has called him ''The best defender I have ever faced. He's very strong and very good''.[34]
Standing at 1.88 meters, Araújo is dominant in the air, both defensively and offensively. His aerial prowess makes him a constant threat from set pieces, where his ability to outjump opponents has led to crucial goals for both club and country.[35]
Despite his defensive strength, his ball-playing abilities have often been criticized. During the Champions League quarter-final, Luis Enrique stated that he ordered his men to press Araújo when he had the ball.[36] Araújo's defensive decision-making has also been lacking as he sometimes lacks positional sense, and the sense of when to intercept and when to be proactive.[37]
Araújo is a devoutChristian.[38]
He is named afterRonald Koeman.
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Rentistas | 2016 | Uruguayan Segunda División | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | |||
| 2017 | Uruguayan Segunda División | 14 | 6 | — | — | — | 14 | 6 | ||||
| Total | 17 | 7 | — | — | — | 17 | 7 | |||||
| Boston River | 2017 | Uruguayan Primera División | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| 2018 | Uruguayan Primera División | 18 | 0 | — | 4[b] | 0 | — | 22 | 0 | |||
| Total | 27 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | — | 31 | 0 | ||||
| Barcelona B | 2018–19 | Segunda División B | 22 | 3 | — | — | — | 22 | 3 | |||
| 2019–20 | Segunda División B | 20 | 3 | — | — | 2[c] | 0 | 22 | 3 | |||
| Total | 42 | 6 | — | — | 2 | 0 | 44 | 6 | ||||
| Barcelona | 2019–20 | La Liga | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 2020–21 | La Liga | 24 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3[d] | 0 | 2[e] | 0 | 33 | 2 | |
| 2021–22 | La Liga | 30 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 10[f] | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 43 | 4 | |
| 2022–23 | La Liga | 22 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3[g] | 0 | 2[e] | 0 | 31 | 1 | |
| 2023–24 | La Liga | 25 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8[d] | 0 | 2[e] | 0 | 37 | 1 | |
| 2024–25 | La Liga | 7 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5[d] | 1 | 1[e] | 0 | 16 | 2 | |
| Total | 114 | 8 | 15 | 1 | 29 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 166 | 10 | ||
| Career total | 200 | 21 | 15 | 1 | 33 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 257 | 23 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uruguay | 2020 | 1 | 0 |
| 2021 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 21 | 1 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 November 2023 | La Bombonera,Buenos Aires, Argentina | 15 |  Argentina | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | [41] |
Barcelona
Uruguay U20
Uruguay
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