Barcelona’s Ilkay Gundogan revisits Ronald Araujo PSG red card – ‘If you’re not prepared to admit mistakes…’ | OneFootball

Barcelona star Ilkay Gundogan has responded to the controversy surrounding his statements about Ronald Araujo again, in an interview ahead of the Euros in Germany. The 33-year-old, caused a stir with his criticism of the Uruguayan, and ended up speaking with him to resolve the issue afterwards.

Following Barcelona’s exit from the Champions League at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain, a frustrated Gundogan spoke to the press afterwards saying that the Blaugrana could not afford mistakes such as Araujo’s decision to go for the ball at that level.

Gundogan held clear the air talks with Araujo, and it was a second time he had addressed his comments in the media, after criticism of the whole dressing room following defeat to Real Madrid in October. Asked about the fallout again, Gundogan did not back away from the message, although did point out that his criticism was not personal.

“I talked about us as a team, not just Ronald. You will see it if you review my statements in full. I also make mistakes and I admit them. If you are not prepared to admit mistakes, you cannot succeed,” Gundogan told Der Spiegel, as quoted by Cadena SER.

The straight-talking veteran appears to have been taken by surprise by the scrutiny at Barcelona. His comments on both occasions are justified, but equally, if his teammates would much rather hear it within the confines of the dressing room walls, that also makes sense. Many refer to Gundogan as already showing the qualities of a manager, and the former Manchester City man seems aware of the impact of sending a public message too though.