The Uruguayan defender of FC Barcelona, Ronald Araujo, attended the program ‘Que t’hi jugues’ of Ser Catalunya to review the current situation of the club and also his personal situation. He talked about his early stages at the club, the dressing room, the president amid a lot of other things.
Here is what he had to say :
On his beginning at Barça :
“When I got here, the ball seemed to be flying at 200 km per hour. But that did not depress me. I always stayed to do control and pass every day in training. I bought a plastic ball and I used to kick it against the wall to improve my touch. I got used to the philosophy of Barça. I know I still have a lot to learn and every day I try to learn a little more to gain confidence.”
About the time when he signed for Barça :
“Coming from Boston River to Barça was very difficult, I think I was the first one from there to come here. It was tremendous. There were no intermediate stops and I am thankful for that. Ramon Planes has been very important, a pillar for me. It was difficult for me to adapt to the philosophy of Barça and in him, I had someone to support me. He believed in my possibilities and that was important in my life because I came here alone and I needed to have support.”
On how he felt when he found out about his signing :
“I was filled with pride. I came to Madrid without knowing that I was going to sign for Barça. They told me I was going to Europe but they did not tell me the team I would go to. Imagine when they told me that the team I was going to sign for was Barça. One Thursday I was taking a nap, my representative called me and told me to get ready to travel to Europe. I had a game against Peñarol at home and I wanted to play because my friends and my family were coming to see me, but Europe was an opportunity. So I traveled. “
On the Uruguayans :
“I think we have a winning character. It was shown in Godín, in Luis. The character, the desire to get ahead.”
On religion :
“We are very religious. Since I was six years old, I was always taught that God is in everything that happens. And my mother has also always been very religious.”
On interest from other teams :
“The Real Madrid thing came later, but earlier, Atlético did have an interest.”
On Puyol :
“He is one of my references. He was a captain, a club reference, an idol and it is nice to be compared. But I have to make my career and I hope to do a little of what Puyol did at the club and give joy to the fans and to the people.”
On his recent injury :
“I’m fine. It cost a bit because we hurried a little. Against Sevilla, I resented it and I had to go out injured, again. But now I’m better to face what is important for us to come.”
On the early days of his football career :
“I played as a forward in my early days. That was until I went to Montevideo. I already played as a pivot there. I loved Ronaldinho.”
On the current situation of the team :
“The team is doing very well. We knew that when the results were not good, together we could move forward because there was a group of excellent players. We got together more and had talks with the captains and we knew that if we were more united, good results would come and that is happening now, and I hope it continues in the future.”
On Messi’s future :
“I hope he continues. Since Luis left, I sat at the spot next to him in the locker room. He is an excellent person, a great captain and I hope he will stay with us for a long time. It is difficult to think that he is not there because Leo is Barça. He has been here for many years and is the captain and reference. He is an idol for many fans and it would be difficult to see him in another shirt and I want him to stay.”
On the good references about him in the club :
“That speaks of how I am. It is a pleasure that they speak well of me.”
On Koeman :
“He is a great coach and everyone can see that, I am happy because he helps us a lot and I hope he can stay longer. In his first year, he is doing a great job and if it is another year then it could be even better. Winning the double would help him to continue, of course, I hope we can win what we have left. The league would be tremendous to win because a few months ago, everyone had already ruled us out.”
On Laporta :
“He is a great president. He proved it before when he was here and now from the first moment he came to talk to us and showed us that he is very close. I get the impression that he is a very intelligent person and that he will help the club a lot in this moment.”
