FC Barcelona stalwart Ronald Araujo through his social media handle, has begged the club’s fans for forgiveness following his costly error that led to the club’s elimination from the Champions League in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
With his team 1-0 up on the night and leading 4-2 on aggregate against Paris Saint-Germain in the tie’s second leg on Tuesday, the Uruguayan lost his head and hacked down Bradley Barcola on 29 minutes.
As the last defender, Araujo was shown a straight red card with the Blaugrana then failing to hang on with 10 men through an additional hour of high-paced football.
Ex-Barca winger Ousmane Dembele equalized the immediate score just before half time, ahead of a Vitinha shot from long range and a Kylian Mbappe brace sinking the Catalans 4-1 at home and 6-4 overall.
The failure to reach the last four has financial ramifications for Barca, and Araujo broke his silence on social media to apologize to his fans that are probably more upset with a failure to meet Borussia Dortmund in the semifinals.
“Football that gave me so much joy now hits me hard. I thank all those who are unconditionally by my side, my teammates who left everything on the field, and the fans who believed in this team until the end,” he wrote on Instagram and X.
“I’m so sorry I don’t give you this joy. We’ll try again. Forca Barca, now and forever!,” Araujo added.
