Ronald Araujo reveals the key to having completed his renewal with Barça: "Now I feel ..."

If there was a topic that captured the headlines of the Catalan press and kept the FC Barcelona fans and the institution itself on edge, it was the renewal of Ronald Araújo. It is worth remembering that the Uruguayan's contract with the Blaugrana team was set to expire on June 30, 2026, and there were speculations that he could leave the club during the recently concluded winter transfer window in search of new challenges.

Fortunately, for all parties involved, the agreement was reached, and on January 23, Ronald Araujo signed the extension of his contract with the club, which theoretically will extend the Uruguayan's stay in the team from Barcelona until June 30, 2031. In this regard, Rivera did not hesitate to 'get involved' on this topic during his participation in the closing ceremony of the 19th edition of the book "Relats Solidaris de l’Esport", where he served as a godfather alongside his compatriot Cristhian Stuani.

Araujo never doubted his renewal with FC Barcelona

When talking about his renewal, Araujo emphasized the serenity with which he faced the entire process, having a clear desire to remain connected to the Blaugrana club. "I was very calm, I always knew what I wanted. Happy with how things turned out, with the renewal. I have always shown how important it is for me to be here. I will always give my all for this club. Happy to stay here for many more years, and it is reflected in the years of the contract, until 2031," he detailed.

In addition, Ronald revealed the reason that led him to confirm his desire to continue wearing the Blaugrana jersey. "We all did a great job and now I feel valued, that is what matters. I always knew I wanted to stay. I am important in this team, and I am happy to continue for many years," he pointed out.

Adaptation to Hansi Flick's playing system

In another aspect, the Uruguayan explained briefly how the adaptation process has been to the playing system proposed by Hansi Flick, with a quite advanced defense and prone to constantly playing offside. "Well, happy for the team and for my return. It is true that it is a somewhat risky style (Hansi Flick's playing system), but in the end, it is what is giving us results. I am feeling good," he emphasized.

The motivation of the Blaugrana dressing room to win LaLiga

Talking about FC Barcelona, Ronald Araujo expressed the optimism with which the Blaugrana dressing room is approaching LaLiga, especially regarding the upcoming match between Real Madrid and Atlético, where it is expected that both direct rivals will drop points. "We are focused on ourselves, on what lies ahead. There is a lot of LaLiga left, and we know how important every match is. We have to take it game by game, adding three points. It was very important to win the other day, I emphasized that to the team. We knew it was going to be quite difficult," he admitted.

"The goal is clear and it is to win LaLiga, there are many points left, and we are eager to do it."

Refereeing in Spain

Finally, regarding one of the recent controversies in Spanish football, related to Real Madrid's complaint about the refereeing in their match against RCD Espanyol and a forgiven expulsion of the 'periquito' team for a foul on Kylian Mbappé, Araujo preferred not to delve deeper. "I honestly hadn't seen it, but I was told they would probably ask me about it. We are focused on what is ours. Today, what matters is the Relats Solidaris event, everything we are involved in on this important day. I will not go into details, I believe it is not my place," he recounted.

Despite this, the defender made a comment about refereeing, pointing out that one cannot always freely express their opinion about the referees' work. "Raphinha is right, we cannot say everything we think, and I think being a referee is a difficult profession," he concluded.

It is worth remembering that, in the mixed zone after the match between SL Benfica and FC Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League, the Brazilian forward was clear when asked about his preferences between international referees and those from the Spanish tournament. "If I say what I think, I won't play in LaLiga anymore."