"He’ll break your hips and score a goal" - Barcelona's Ronald Araujo hails Real Madrid star as the best 1v1 player in the world
Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo has named Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior as the best one-on-one player in the world.
Whenever the teams locked horns in El Classico this season, the battle between Araujo and Vinicius was as scintillating as it was competitive. Despite being a center-back primarily, Xavi Hernandez has used him as a right-back frequently, which has seen him come face-to-face with Vinicius.
The Uruguayan has stated that his rivalry with Vinicius is based on admiration. He praised the Brazilian for his burst of pace and called him the best player in one-on-one situations.
In an interview with The Athletic, Araujo said:
“We respect each other a lot. We didn’t have a relationship before, but now we respect each other and, during games, we talk about everything. We’re professional players and it’s all very healthy. Duels are part of football. It’s true a lot of noise is created when a Clasico arrives but, between us, we’re very calm and we try to give our best.”
Araujo lauded Vinicius' persistence throughout a game and hoped that his duels with him continue for a long time. The Barcelona defender said:
“For me, Vinicius Jr is the best in one-v-ones today. I try to concentrate and believe in my work and my potential. The most important thing (when playing against him) is to concentrate because he’s a player who runs for the whole 90 minutes."
He added:
"Maybe you win six or seven duels, but in one he’ll break your hips and score a goal against you. The thing is, sometimes he goes from zero to 100 and buuff… God willing, there’ll be a lot more duels here in our careers. It’s beautiful.”
“Very good and strong” - Vinicius Jr names Barcelona star Ronald Araujo as his toughest opponent
The admiration and respect between Ronald Araujo and Vinicius Junior is not one-way. The latter had previously named the Barcelona defender as the toughest player he has faced so far.
In an interview after Real Madrid's 2-0 defeat of Chelsea at the Santiago Bernabeu on April 12, Vinicius picked Araujo as his toughest opponent so far, saying:
“The best defender I have ever faced is Araujo. He’s very strong and very good. That’s why he plays for Barca.”
Araujo and Vinicius have faced each other seven times so far, with the Barcelona man edging the rivalry with four wins to three.