Cause for concern – Barcelona defender has suffered 16 injuries since joining first team

Earlier this month, FC Barcelona were dealt a huge setback heading into the Hansi Flick era as key defender Ronald Araujo suffered a serious hamstring injury while playing for Uruguay at Copa America.

The 25-year-old underwent medical examinations at the club facilities this week and it was decided that he would undergo surgery to address the problem, sidelining him for close to four months.

Araujo is an integral member of the Barcelona team and is one of the four captains as well and his absence for a prolonged period is a matter of worry for the club.

However, a larger cause of concern could be the worrying trend of injuries that the Uruguayan international has been picking up since breaking into the Barcelona first-team setup.

16 injuries since 2019

Indeed, Araujo, despite being physically prodigious, is proving to be injury-prone. The list of physical mishaps he has suffered is long and makes him an unreliable player if he is to be counted on in every game for an entire season at a club as demanding as Barcelona.

After all, the injury he suffered with Uruguay at the Copa America is the 16th he has sustained since becoming a first-team player at Barcelona, highlights AS.

Araujo’s first injury at Barça came in 2020 when he hurt his ankle playing for the reserve team, although he did not miss any matches because pre-season was already around by then.

That same year, he injured his right thigh biceps femoris against Juventus in the Champions League and missed seven games after 39 days on the sidelines.

Out for four months. (Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images)

In 2021, the hamstring problems in his right thigh started in a match against Granada, and he was sidelined for four days and one game.

The Uruguayan suffered back-to-back ankle injuries in February and went on to miss a series of games until March. Later that year, he again had hamstring problems playing for Uruguay against Argentina and missed five games.

2022 was a difficult year for Araujo in terms of injuries that started with a hand fracture in the Copa del Rey against Linares in January, followed by a calf issue next month.

Araujo was forced to miss a couple of matches through concussion in May before suffering an adductor issue in September while playing for Uruguay, which sidelined him for close to two months.

The defender was out on the treatment tables again with an adductor issue in March 2023 while a calf injury sustained in May kept him out for another month. A muscle tear in the thigh put him out for over a month in August.

In May earlier this year, Araujo dealt with a minor knee injury, missing one game before suffering the thigh injury this month while playing for Uruguay.

Araujo has missed 46 of Barcelona’s 213 official matches in the four seasons since he was promoted to the first team, making him unavailable to his coaches for 21 per cent of the fixtures.

As mentioned earlier, Araujo is an integral member of Barcelona’s project and as such the regular injuries that keep happening to him are certain to become a major cause of concern for the club if the trend continues.