Barcelona defender overshadows Real Madrid winger in international fixture ahead of El Clasico

The duels between Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo and Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr during the recent El Clasico matches have become a key factor in deciding the outcome.

Both players are among the best for their respective teams and their battles on the field are becoming something that fans look forward to watching.

Araujo overshadows Vinicius in international duel

Last night saw Ronald Araujo come face to face with Vinicius Jr again, albeit in an international fixture as Uruguay took on Brazil in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers.

And, as SPORT reports, the Barcelona defender completely outperformed and outshone the Real Madrid attacker during the match which marked Uruguay’s first win over Brazil in 22 years.

The duo were not in direct duel on the night, with Araujo playing as a centre-back while Vinicius was deployed on his customary left flank.

But there was a stark difference in the way the two players performed as Araujo put in a spectacular display to help his team to a 2-0 win while Vinicius had a forgettable outing.

Araujo made most clearances and headed clearances (4) in the game, won four of his five aerial duels, was the player to win the second-highest individual duels (6), and only committed one foul. An early yellow card was the only blemish on the night for the Uruguayan.

In comparison, Vinicius was unable to do any damage to an impenetrable Uruguayan defence and was seen protesting the referees’ decisions more often than not.

El Clasico in ten days

In a matter of ten days, Ronald Araujo and Vinicius Jr will battle once again as Barcelona take on Real Madrid in the first El Clasico of the 2023/24 season on October 28 at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.

In recent encounters between the two teams, Xavi has resorted to using Araujo at right-back to nullify the threat of Vinicius – as was seen in the Spanish Super Cup final last season and one Copa del Rey and La Liga fixture each.

But with Joao Cancelo now the undisputed starter at right-back, it will be interesting to see whether Xavi decides to switch things up for the upcoming match.