At the start of December, during Barcelona’s clash with Atletico Madrid, Ronald Araujo suffered a fracture jaw. Despite this, he has continued to play on through the pain barrier, wearing a striking mask during matches in order to protect his injury.
The fracture caused Araujo to miss Barcelona’s glamour friendly with Club America last week, although that was only as a precaution. Sport say that the Uruguayan defender is expected to be available for the first match after the winter break, which will see the Catalans take on Las Palmas in Gran Canaria.
Araujo will undergo further medical tests on his injury in the next 24 hours. He could even be able to play without the mask if the fracture is deemed to have healed successfully over the last few weeks.
Araujo has been one of many Barcelona players that have been under intense scrutiny in recent weeks after a string of under-par performances. He is a natural leader for the Blaugrana, and he will undoubtedly be looked towards as Xavi’s side aim to get back on track in 2024.