Barcelona star hails Real Madrid forward’s skills ahead of Clasico showdown: “Number one”

Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo has said that according to him, Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. is the best player in one-on-one situations.

Araujo’s duel against Vinicius Jr. has always been an exciting affair and the Uruguayan has more often than not come out on top.

It must be remembered that in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final clash against Madrid, Araujo successfully kept his goal clean against the Brazilian, like he did in the Spanish Super Cup final.

Now speaking ahead of the upcoming El Clasico at Camp Nou on Sunday, Araujo shared his thoughts on several aspects. Starting off with his words on Vinicius, he said,

“For me today, Vinicius is number one in one-on-one,” the Uruguayan told ESPN (h/t AS). “He is a very good player, very unbalancing. It’s difficult, obviously. But he worked to be able to give his best in matches like this. I’m glad things are going well.”

Barcelona already have a nine-point lead at the top of the table, meaning that a win at home against Madrid would stretch the gap to 12 points. Speaking in that context, Araujo added that despite the comfortable lead, the team will approach Sunday’s game ‘like a final’.

“The team is fine, I am fine and with great expectations of being able to play this important game. I think we have to take it that way (like a final) because it’s a very important game, we can make a significant difference knowing that there’s not much left to finish La Liga. 

“Now we are seeing the fruit of what we have been working on. Xavi arrived in the middle of the previous season and when you’re playing a lot you can’t do many things. I think that in the preseason we were able to work a lot defensively,” he added.

Also speaking about Barcelona’s 4-0 win over Madrid towards the end of the previous season, Araujo pressed that it was a turning point for the team.

“It was very important for us because we were coming from a tough time, and after losing several games with Madrid. I think that game was like turning that around a bit, saying ‘here we are, we’re coming back’.”

The competition for the centre-back positions is heating up at Barcelona. While Andreas Christensen is affirmed of one place, the likes of Araujo and Jules Kounde regularly exchange positions. Speaking about the duo, the 24-year-old added,

“They [Kounde and Christensen] are both very good players who came to help us, and they give us a lot. The defensive solidity is being seen, which is important because in the end it makes us win games and it was something that we had to correct from last season. 

“We also have a very good defensive line with Eric (García), Marcos (Alonso) and with the full-backs that complement each other very well, that’s the most important thing.”

Araujo revealed that he likes to talk a lot with his teammates during matches while also admitting that his meteoric rise at Barcelona has simply been phenomenal.

“I like to talk, yes, because it is a way, especially for me, to stay focused and I also know that it helps the team a lot. I think you have to take the voice of the leadership and be able to encourage the team, it’s important.”

“It [rise] all happened very quickly. Thank God it was a radical change, we practically jumped the stairs, from below and directly to Barcelona, ​​to Europe; I’m glad things are going well. 

“Obviously, when you come to a team like Barça, it’s hard at first, more with a unique philosophy that the club has, but with work today the fruits are being seen,” he concluded.