Ronald Araujo reflects on 'tension' between Barcelona & Uruguay at World Cup | OneFootball

Barcelona centre-back Ronald Araujo has admitted he struggled to enjoy his World Cup experience because of the tension between his club and Uruguay.

Araujo suffered a groin injury in September which required surgery but, despite not being fully fit, was named in Uruguay's World Cup squad.

He failed to play a single minute, however, with Barcelona and Uruguay going back and forth over his fitness. The Catalan side were concerned that Araujo could be rushed back prematurely and Uruguay boss Diego Alonso went public with his frustrations.

It was Barcelona who ultimately got what they wanted, with Araujo not playing and watching on from the sidelines as Uruguay crashed out in the group stages.

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After a tumultuous few weeks, Araujo told Marca: “Yes, I was physically fine, I had to have some training sessions with the team and we thought that I would have been there for the round of 16.

“It was obvious that Barcelona didn’t want me to force it, and the national team, within the deadline, wanted me to try and be there and help. We all knew that we could have the chance to be there, we tried.

“I feel sad for being eliminated and for not being able to play and help my teammates and the country. I lived the World Cup with a lot of tension because I wanted to be there, hurry to get there in good shape and be in the following games, but unfortunately it was not possible.

“Now I have a few days off to be with the family, to enjoy, to clear my head a bit and to recover. I’ll be back in Spain shortly, I’ll be back for and to compete with Barcelona, ​​that’s the idea.”