22-year-old Barcelona centre-back nearly joined Real Madrid in 2018

Ronald Araujo has enjoyed a meteoric rise to stardom at Barcelona over the past year or so.

Signed from Uruguayan outfit Boston River back in 2018, the 22-year-old made his senior debut under Ernesto Valverde in 2019 but became a regular only during the last season when Ronald Koeman was in charge.

The centre-back impressed heavily last term but has taken his game up a notch in the current campaign, establishing himself as one of the most exciting young defenders in Europe. It has led to him attracting interest from clubs like Chelsea and Manchester United.

Araujo has been a mainstay in Xavi Hernandez’s side when fit and available and has become known for his aggressive performances in defence.

However, if a report from ESPN is to be believed, things could have turned out completely different for the 22-year-old, as he could have ended up playing for Barça’s rivals, Real Madrid.

His coach at Boston River, Sergio Cabrera, who recently backed Araujo to grow to Carles Puyol’s level, had called up Ramon Planes to recommend the defender to him. At the time, Planes was the director of Getafe and could have signed him there, but a move did not materialise.

At the same time, Real Madrid were also very keen on signing Araujo while Sevilla were also working on a deal to lure him to La Liga. However, Planes moved to Barcelona as the technical director in 2018 and acted swiftly to secure the Uruguayan’s signing, beating the club’s rivals in the process.

Araujo has repaid the faith shown in him by the club at a young age, by becoming a key member of the side. With his contract running out in 18 months, the ex-Boston River ace is expected to sign a new deal and prolong his stay at Camp Nou.