Ronald Federico Araújo da Silva (; born 7 March 1999) is an Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Barcelona, whom he captains, and the Uruguay national team.
Araújo joined Rentistas from hometown club Huracán de Rivera. He made his senior debut with the former on 24 September 2016, coming on as a late substitute in a 1âÂÂ0 Segunda División away win against Tacuarembó.
Araújo scored his first senior goal on 9 December 2016, netting the equaliser in a 2âÂÂ2 home draw against Central Español. He became a regular starter during the 2017 season, and scored a hat-trick in a 3âÂÂ2 away win over Villa Española on 17 June of that year.
It was at Rentistas that Araújo made the significant switch in position from forward to defender.
On 28 July 2017, Araújo joined Primera División side Boston River. He made his debut in the category on 18 September, replacing Maximiliano Sigales late into a 1âÂÂ0 home success over El Tanque Sisley.
On 29 August 2018, Araújo signed a five-year contract with FC Barcelona for a fee of â¬1.7 million, plus â¬3.5 million in variables; he was initially assigned to the reserves in Segunda División B. He made his first team â and La Liga â debut on 6 October of the following year, coming off the bench to replace Jean-Clair Todibo in the 73rd minute of a 4âÂÂ0 home win against Sevilla; however, he was sent off in the 86th minute for fouling Javier Hernández.
For the 2020âÂÂ21 season, Araújo was promoted to the main squad, being handed the number 4 jersey, which was previously worn by Ivan RakitiÃÂ. On 19 December 2020, he scored his first La Liga goal for Barcelona in a 2âÂÂ2 home draw against Valencia.
On 20 March 2022, Araújo scored his first goal in El Clásico, heading in a corner from Ousmane Dembélé in a 4âÂÂ0 away victory against the league leaders at Santiago Bernabéu.
For the first 21 league games of the 2022âÂÂ23 season, Araújo formed a defensive partnership alongside Andreas Christensen and occasionally Jules Koundé at centre-back, helping Barcelona keep the most clean sheets (16) in all of Europe's top 5 leagues.
On 21 July 2023, Barcelona announced Araújo as the club's third captain. On 4 November 2023, he scored his first goal of the 2023âÂÂ24 season in the 92nd minute of stoppage time in a 1âÂÂ0 away win over Real Sociedad.
On 16 April 2024, Araújo received a straight red card for fouling Bradley Barcola in the first-half of Barcelona's Champions League quarter-final second leg match against Paris Saint-Germain which shifted the momentum in PSG's favor, turning the tide of the match despite Barcelona's two goal lead and eventually ended up losing 4âÂÂ1 on the night, and 6âÂÂ4 on aggregate. On 23 January 2025, he extended his contract with the club until 2031.
On 18 October, in a La Liga match against Girona, Araújo came on as a substitute in the second half and scored the winning goal in a 2-1 home win in stoppage time.
On 25 November, Araújo was heavily criticized during a Champions League away fixture against Chelsea. He had earned a yellow card in the 32nd minute and then just 12 minutes later , Araújo fouled defender Marc Cucurella in which the referee gave Araújo a second yellow card and was sent off before the end of the first half. Barcelona would go on to lose 3-0 in which many pundits and sports journalists blamed Araújo for disrupting the flow of the match.
After representing Uruguay at under-18 and under-20 levels, Araújo received his first call up for the senior side on 5 October 2020, for two 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Ecuador.
He made his full international debut eight days later, starting in a 2âÂÂ4 loss against the latter.
In June 2021, Araújo was included in the final 26-man Uruguay squad for the 2021 Copa América in Brazil, but he didn't feature in any of Uruguay's five games in the tournament while also suffering a muscle injury.
Despite nursing an injury, Araújo was included in the Uruguay squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, having expected a recovery during the knockout phase. However, he did not make an appearance as Uruguay were eliminated in the group stage.
On 16 November 2023, he scored his first goal with the national team against Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification fifth round at La Bombonera in Buenos Aires. In the 41st minute, Araújo received the ball after a MatÃÂas Viña's low cross into the penalty box and beat Argentine keeper Emiliano MartÃÂnez with a shot from the right side of the goal to the bottom left corner.
Originally a striker, Araújo's physicality made his youth coaches move him to centre-back at age 17. Primarily a right-footed centre-back, Araújo is also comfortable playing as a right-back, a role in which he has been deployed on occasion to counter skilled wingers. Known for his defensive solidity, Araújo excels in one-on-one duels and has an ability to time his challenges effectively. His pace and athleticism allow him to recover quickly and cover large spaces, making him an invaluable asset in high defensive lines.
Brazilian winger VinÃÂcius Júnior has called him <nowiki>The best defender I have ever faced. He's very strong and very good</nowiki>.
Standing at 1.91 meters, Araújo is dominant in the air, both defensively and offensively. His aerial prowess makes him a constant threat from set pieces, where his ability to outjump opponents has led to crucial goals for both club and country.
Despite his defensive strength, his ball-playing abilities have often been criticized. During the Champions League quarter-final, Luis Enrique stated that he ordered his men to press Araújo when he had the ball. Araújo's defensive decision-making has also been lacking as he sometimes lacks positional sense, and the sense of when to intercept and when to be proactive.
Araújo was born in Uruguay to a Brazilian-Uruguayan father and a Brazilian mother in Rivera, a city near the Brazilian border. He is Christian.
In 2016, he began a relationship with Abigail Olivera, whom he married on 21 July 2025, at the Methodist Temple of Montevideo. Together, they are the parents of two daughters: Aitana (b. 2021) and Adara (b. 2024).
In late 2025, Araújo traveled to Jerusalem for a mental health break as a result of heavy criticism for his performance in a 3-0 loss against Chelsea. He returned to training about a month later.
Barcelona
Uruguay U20
Uruguay
Individual