Hansi Flick has waved goodbye to his Barcelona captain, with Ronald Araújo joining Liverpool on loan in a deal that includes a buy option and could therefore see him play his final game for the Catalan club.
The Uruguay international heads to the Premier League, becoming the latest player to represent both clubs and just the fourth Uruguayan to pull on the famous red shirt. A good move for both.
In truth, Araújo has done what generations of Barcelona defenders have quietly dreamed of doing: getting out while the going was still vaguely good. And Flick, ever the diplomat, sent him off with the sort of speech you might expect from a manager clearing his conscience as much as his squad list.
"I said goodbye to him this morning and saw that he was happy. Liverpool is a great club, and I wish him the best. You have to accept it."
In his farewell, it seems the German was more than willing to part ways with the central defender, who struggled to fully adapt to Barcelona’s evolving style of play. Eric García and Pau Cubarsí were preferred for much of last season, while Gerard Martín also featured more prominently during the business end of the campaign.
It could also be argued that Araújo’s decision was influenced by the mental-health break he took following his performance against Chelsea. That episode may have been a turning point, helping convince both player and club that a fresh challenge was the best course of action.
"He is a very good person and an exceptional player, but our style of play is slightly different. He is a footballer with great speed and power, and he is good with the ball at his feet, too. I wanted to get him involved; I think he is eager to try new things, and I believe he has also been affected by what happened in the past."
Flick was quick to point out Araujo's obvious gifts with comments such as "great speed and power," "good with the ball at his feet, too", the sort of compliments handed out at the exact moment someone's clearing out their locker. He noted he'd tried to get the Uruguayan more involved, but some matters are just more important than football.
The acceptance is key, perhaps the most Barcelona sentence ever uttered, four words that could be stitched onto the club crest at this point. However, us fans can only wish a great servant the best of luck, just hope that luck does not extend to a potential meet-up in the Champions League.
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