In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, everything was excitement and celebration for Barcelona after winning the Spanish Super Cup against Real Madrid. At the center of it, a proper name, a return loaded with symbolism, and also reward: that of Ronald Araujo. The Uruguayan centre-back, second captain, after 47 days without playing after the break he asked Barça to take care of his mental health, dressed in shorts again, he felt like a footballer again. Hansi Flick trusted him to close the final when the group was left with one less player, and the team thus recovered a center back. Araujo, for his part, starred in an emotional and motivating speech in the locker room in which he thanked the support received during his absence. After the final, his teammates returned that affection with a manteo and a gesture full of meaning: they gave him the honor of lifting the trophy with the captain’s armband on his arm.
“Those two supports are key. The coach recovers him emotionally and puts him to play in a very difficult moment. And the players made his healing process culminate by going to receive the cup. It is like saying: ‘you are with us again,’ explains Xesco Espar, high performance expert and former Barça handball coach. María Cabrera, sports psychologist, expresses herself along the same lines: “Moments like lifting the Super Cup after a difficult experience have an enormous emotional impact: it gives the player back the feeling of competition and belonging.” Álvaro González, a clinical and sports psychologist who has also worked with First Division players, thinks the same, and highlights Araujo’s stoppage: “It is very easy to take a leave when you have a broken leg, it is something you can see. But a leave due to anxiety, depression or mental health is very difficult.” The three specialists agree with EL PAÍS on a central idea: the mental and the physical go hand in hand.
Araujo came on in the 93rd minute after Frenkie de Jong was sent off, when Barcelona was left with 10 and was fighting to win the trophy with the score at 3-2. Flick gave him confidence, he played four minutes and the result did not change. After the final whistle, Araujo chatted with Vinicius and Carvajal, and hugged Joan Laporta during the medal ceremony. But it was not the only moment in which he received the support of the club and his teammates.
The Uruguayan had asked Barcelona for time to recover emotionally. It was after his expulsion at Stamford Bridge, in the defeat against Chelsea, when he received a second yellow card after a foul on Cucurella in the final stretch of the first half, with the score already against. “The athlete lives with the mistake. But there are times when he feels that it has more repercussions. And there the environment is very important,” explains Espar. Barcelona ended up losing that Champions League match, and Araujo, who was singled out, did not train again.
“External criticism has the problem that it gives the player the feeling that it amplifies the error for everyone to see if they don’t know how to block. And especially when the external criticism becomes internal. This is with the player all day, and if it is not managed, that is when anxiety, worry is generated and affects high performance,” adds Espar. “It is necessary to isolate yourself and focus on the part that enriches you. If you are guided by what the press, other colleagues, or the public say… that makes you dirty and you really lose concentration and energy,” González points out. “And in the case of a captain, in addition, the burden of collective responsibility appears, which intensifies the emotional exhaustion,” says Cabrera.
After the game against Chelsea, Araujo went to speak with the sports management, who referred him to the medical services. “It was not a confidence problem, but a health problem. Once the treatment was resolved, he was ready to play,” they explain from the sports management. “Physically he feels fine, but emotionally he hasn’t been able to be at 100% for some time,” sources familiar with the Uruguayan’s situation explained.
In his recovery process, he found refuge in a spiritual journey he undertook to Jerusalem, relying on his faith. Later, he also traveled to Uruguay with the permission of the Barça club, which supported him and gave him the necessary time to recover. “The club’s support is essential. When they tell him to take all the time he needs, the player perceives that the important thing is him, not his performance: they want him back,” Espar emphasizes. “This support reduces anxiety, protects self-esteem and facilitates a more solid emotional recovery,” adds Cabrera. From his experience, González highlights the importance of “recovering meaning”: “Why do you play football? When you go through a period of this type it is because you no longer enjoy the sport, you no longer experience it like in the schoolyard. You have to recover that.”
Araujo smiles; Flick too. At a time when Barcelona needs defenders and awaits the arrival of João Cancelo – who will be presented this Tuesday – with a more offensive profile, the team celebrates something more than a title: it recovers a fundamental teammate in the locker room and a central defender. For González, it is also essential to continue fighting against the stigma surrounding mental health: “People are more aware, fortunately we are gradually overcoming that stigma. But it is still not enough.” And cases like Araujo’s continue to open doors for the issue to be treated naturally.
