One of the most curious stories of 2023 so far has been the ongoing saga of Julian Araujo and his move to Barcelona. If you’re not aware of what the story has been all about, and what the future holds for Araujo, then you’ve come to the right place.
The Making Of A Champion: Julian Araujo, The Story So Far
Julian Araujo has made his name in the US for having achieved a lot of success at a very young age. His love of the game began early – he began playing aged just five, by the time he was twelve he had joined an academy team and was competing in tournaments across California.
By the age of fifteen he had been selected to join the U.S. Soccer Development Academy – one of the youngest players ever to be chosen. It was a feat that obviously attracted a lot of attention and Araujo went on to play for LA Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes.
Araujo is widely considered to be one of the most promising young players in the U.S. and has been adopted as something of a cult hero amongst his fans. His story is a classic tale of anything being possible, regardless of your background, if you have the ambition and determination to make your dreams come true.
Once Araujo finds his feet at his new team, he’s could have a big impact and will likely make Barcelona a popular choice for sports betters in North America. It will be interesting to follow his progress and see how his move changes the odds – look out for a good sports book Canada to track his impact.
January Drama With Julian Araujo And Barcelona
There were rumours of Barcelona being interested in Araujo for a long time before they made their move – they had reportedly been monitoring his progress for some time, and with due cause. His incredibly fast rise to fame was bound to attract interest from the big teams and it doesn’t get much bigger than the Spanish giants Barcelona. The team has a huge fan base and has been host to a lot of rising stars over the years.
They finally showed their hands in January’s transfer window, but missed out after filing the paperwork 18 seconds too late on deadline day. It was a blow for all concerned when FIFA refused to accept the late application, not least Araujo, and the club scrambled to try and find a solution.
Barcelona Manage to Secure A Deal
Despite appealing the decision, it looked unlikely that Araujo would be allowed to play for Barcelona last season, so the club decided to go with a plan B and sign Araujo to play for the reserve team, moving him up to play for the first team as soon as he is allowed. The deal locks him in for three and a half years, until June 30 2026, and is worth a whopping 4 million euro.
Rafa Marquez is Barcelona’s reserve team coach. “I’m delighted that he’s coming,” Marquez told Relevo. “They’ve already been watching him since before I arrived. Now the situation has arisen and I’m delighted. He’s going to be with me for a while and then move on to the first team. Let him do a bit of adjusting and I hope he has a nice career here.”
Other Young Players Set To Make The Move To Barcelona
It’s been a great start to the year for Barcelona, with some exciting new signings already under their belt or in the pipeline, but they won’t be stopping there. Another young player they’ve got their eye on is Mika Marmol, the 21-year-old they sold to FC Andorra last summer. After an impressive season, Barcelona is rumored to be planning on using their buy-back option on Marmol, but to sell him to Las Palmas rather than keep him for themselves. Araujo looks if he will be given a chance to prove his worth in preseason, and from there on they will take a decision about his future.
Now we just have to sit back and wait to see how Arajuo performs over the coming months and year to see if his deal was worth the investment for Barcelona.