‘We are a bit worried’… Ronald Araújo talks registration issues, Toni Fernández after making his season debut with Barcelona | OneFootball

FC Barcelona returned to the pitch in 2025 with a win last night as they were playing against UD Barbastro in their opening game of the Copa del Rey 2024-25 campaign.

Although the Blaugranes were clearly the favorites, this win was important as with this result, they have turned around the trend of poor results in the last few weeks.

Another factor that made this game memorable was the return of Ronald Araújo, as the Uruguayan made his debut for the season following his recovery from the injury that he suffered while playing for Uruguay in the 2024 Copa America last summer.

He got the captain’s armband back for this game, and as Mundo Deportivo has reported, also talked to the media after the match. One of the most notable parts of this media talk was his rather honest assessment of the Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor registration issue:

“It’s a distasteful issue for our teammates, but we hope it can be resolved… As captain, I have tried to calm them down. We are a bit worried because they are two very important players for us.”

However, the Barcelona defender was quite satisfied with the game that his side played last night: “We are happy with this victory. It was a tough pitch, one of those that are challenging, but we were very focused.”

Although the center-back expressed some surprise at completing the full 90 minutes without any issues, he made it clear that he doesn’t need to prove anything to secure his place in the starting lineup

“I didn’t expect it [playing the full 90 minutes]. I’m happy to be back after such a long time… I don’t have to prove anything. I’m the captain of Barça.”

The Uruguayan was also clear about the impact of the Christmas break on the team: “We knew that this break would do us good to recover and work well.”

The Barcelona center-back also praised La Masia talents generally while he specifically talked about Toni Fernández’s debut last night:

“It’s incredible, he has tremendous quality. It’s amazing what the people from La Masía do; when they move up, they’re fearless and keep taking on opponents as if nothing has changed.”

There is no doubt that the situation surrounding Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor’s registration is quite concerning for the team. But, fortunately, captains like Araújo are helping the club keep things in control.

Hopefully, the Blaugranes will be able to solve this issue soon so the team can start concentrating fully on their matches in the business end of the season.