Julian Araujo Opens Up On Learning From Veteran Star: “Somebody That I Looked Up To”
Barcelona defender Julian Araujo has reflected upon his last-minute move to Barcelona while explaining how he is adopting the new lifestyle in Spain.
Speaking in a candid chat with ESPN, the 21-year-old shed light on several aspects like Rafa Marquez’s impact, impersonating Jordi Alba’s style of play and his chaotic move to Barcelona
“Being here is incredible, especially coming from where I come from. Lompoc is a city that is overlooked and not many children have opportunities,” said the youngster.
Araujo was born into a farm-working family and it wasn’t until 2018 that he got to taste the flavour of professional football. After spending six months with LA Galaxy II, the young defender was promoted to the senior team, a team with which he went on to spend four successful years.
During the recent winter transfer window, Barcelona came calling but the move suddenly looked to be in jeopardy as the paperwork was registered 18 seconds past the Jan. 31 deadline.
“I was frustrated, there was nothing I could do about it. My part was done, my part was handled,” Araujo explained. “That’s one of the things that I’ve learned throughout my career is just to handle what you can control.”
Life has taken a turn for the good for the youngster ever since the move. The 21-year-old has now moved into an apartment and while he is comfortable with his Spanish, the adaptation has been rather challenging.
“It’s not difficult, but there’ll be times when they talk really fast, sometimes they’ll switch their words to Catalan and I look at them weirdly. But for the most part, it’s been good,” he said.
For now, although the player is training with Barcelona’s reserve team (Barça Atletic), there remains uncertainty over his future as everyone involved is awaiting a decision on FIFA’s appeal to not allow the registration from the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
In any way, Araujo is training with the youth team under Rafa Marquez’s guidance and speaking about the experience, he added,
“In training, I just look back and think ‘wow,’” Araujo said. “This is why even as a coach, this is why I know he was a top footballer, because of the way he goes about his days, the way he talks to us.
“Sometimes he’ll even train with us and he still has quality.
“He’s been great with me, he’s had some words with me about what I need to work on, what it is that I’m doing well, what I can do better and how I can do them better,” he added.
Furthermore, the player has also had the opportunity to train with the senior team as well, to which he said,
“It’s amazing, man. It’s a whole other world. You always have to be on your toes, always have to be ready, expecting what’s going to happen next, if you’re defending the pace is very, very high.”
The 21-year-old explains that during these training sessions, he is getting to know his frailties through his teammates’ constructive criticism. Among all, a certain Jordi Alba has affected him the most.
“He’s in a left-back position and he’s had an amazing career, he’s somebody that I looked up to as a young boy, so I ask questions,” Araujo said. “I’m trying to learn, trying out what I see on the pitch whenever we’re training,” he concluded.
