Barcelona captain speaks after contract renewal – ‘I hope to have great years and full of titles’

Thursday was a momentous day for Barcelona as they sealed the renewal of Ronald Araujo until 2031, thus safeguarding his future at the club.

After all, the player has now become a regular starter under Hansi Flick after Inigo Martinez’s injury and has even shown great signs of returning to his former level.

The player put pen to paper on the new deal and was seen joyous on the big occasion. Notably, however, Barcelona did not release any information on his release clause which has been lowered as per the player’s request.

Araujo speaks after his renewal

Speaking to the media after signing his renewal with the club, the Barcelona captain commented on a range of topics including how he felt at the club and his ambitions.

He began by revealing his happiness over the renewal and what it meant to him to stay at the club of his dreams.

“Honestly, I’m very happy, thank God. It’s a great feeling to be able to renew my contract with Barcelona for many more years.”

“Happiness, great happiness. I worked hard to achieve this and I think we succeeded and I’m very, very happy,” he added.

He also thanked the club for maintaining faith in him and how that was a vital factor for him.

“Obviously the club trusts me too and that’s important. It means I’m doing a good job and the work is productive and I’m very happy.”

Spilling the beans on his ambitions going forward with Barcelona, the Uruguayan defender said,

“I hope to have great years and full of titles, that’s the most important thing, to win and continue to grow as a professional. I know how important I am to this team, and I think I can give a lot.”

Revealing his shorter-term ambitions at the club, he spoke on how the UEFA Champions League was a title he had his eyes on.

“I think we have something pending and that is to win the Champions League and that is the biggest goal that we will strive to achieve, for sure.”

“I am very happy. I have now been here for 6 years. I think that with time, I have won everyone’s love,” he added.

Araujo is one of Barcelona’s primary captains and thus bears a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. On his role as a captain, he said,

“I try to pass on a little of what I have. As I always say, everything is very natural. I try to inspire and encourage and I think that’s important.”

“We have a young team but a very good one. I hope that big and important things will come,” he added.

His decision to stay at the club was not easy as he was closely linked with a move to Juventus just weeks ago. He thanked all parties involved in convincing him to stay and what it meant to him.

“Finally, I thank everyone. I think I feel grateful for all these years. I always felt the love of the people, even in the streets.”

“They always told me: ‘Stay, stay’ and it was a great feeling. Since I came here, there has been a lot of love,” he added.

Finally, Araujo spoke about the love he received from fans and thanked them for all their support.

“When I listen in the stadium too, they chant ‘Uruguayo’, it’s something that conveys enthusiasm. I’m happy, happy because I think the work is going well and I’ll reflect that to the people. I hope there will be a lot of joy to come,” he concluded.

Source: Barça One