Barcelona vice captain Ronald Araujo asks for indefinite break to recover mentally

According to Spanish outlet 'Mundo Deportivo', Barcelona vice captain Ronald Araujo requested a break from the coaching staff to recover mentally after facing a tough run of form. Last week, he was sent off in the 44th minute in their 3-0 Champions League defeat against Chelsea following a sliding challenge on Marc Cucurella. After going down to 10 men, Barca suffered a 3-0 defeat.

This is not the first time Araujo has received a red card in crucial matches, putting the team in jeopardy. One of the most striking incidents came in last season’s Champions League quarter-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain, where he became the quickest player to be sent off in the club’s history and was widely blamed for Barcelona’s exit.

Barcelona reportedly agreed to Araujo’s wish. The club granted him an open-ended recovery period, opting not to impose a return date as they want the defender to come back only when he is fully ready, both physically and mentally.

Reports in Spain claimed that Araujo was “really affected” by his disastrous form. The Uruguayan centre back has not played for Barca since the Champions League defeat to Chelsea last week. He was absent for the Alaves win and won’t feature against Atlético Madrid on Tuesday either.

“Ronald is not ready at the moment,” Hansi Flick said on Monday. “It's a private situation. Please also respect it. This is what I can say and what I want to say".

Meanwhile, Barcelona's board also supports Araujo. President Joan Laporta said earlier: "I want to encourage and defend Araujo. He has received massive criticism, and that is unfair. He is one of our leaders who gives his all on the pitch. Now he is emotional and strong, so he must overcome this moment."

Araujo has played 15 matches for Barcelona this season, scoring 2 goals. His current contract with the club runs until 2031.