‘I’ll be here for many years’… Barcelona captain expresses his desire after 2-2 draw against Atalanta | OneFootball

FC Barcelona have had close encounters with mismanaged contracts in the past. The Catalan club is no stranger to issues in contractual situations and the dire consequences they can have. However, learning from those mistakes has now allowed Barcelona to react to such situations in a better way.

The recent case of Uruguayan defender Ronald Araujo’s contract renewal is a good example. With the 25-year-old center-back linked to a potential move to Juventus and reports suggesting that he was not all that happy at Barcelona, the club made an effort to ensure his stay.

Not long after, the club and the player came to an agreement and his stay at the club was renewed until 2031. For both Barcelona and Araujo, the right circumstances had been met and they came to an agreement over the new foundations that were established.

Now, after scoring in the recent 2-2 draw against Atalanta in the UEFA Champions League, Araujo has spoken about his current stay at Barcelona and has also talked about his own desires in terms of his future moving forward, as highlighted by Mundo Deportivo:

“I’m very happy with the goal after renewing my contract. It shows the work I put in, and what I give on the field, and I see that people appreciate it. If God allows, I’ll be here for many years. If it depends on me, for sure.”

That will come as great news, one that confirms that the player himself is committed to the club. However, by implying that other factors could also be at play that are not in his control, the player has not completely closed the door to a future departure that may or may not involve his new release clause.

As for the game itself, the player seemed happy enough with the result and what it now means for the team, but he did have a few regrets regarding not being able to secure the top spot for Barcelona:

“We had a good first phase, we were close to finishing first, but we let it slip in the end against a team like Atalanta that had urgent needs. It was a great game in every sense. We didn’t get the top spot we wanted, but I’m happy because we had a good first phase.”

However, the Barcelona captain wants his team to remain humble and take things one step at a time: “People have something to look forward to, we have a great team, but we must remain humble and keep working.”

With Araujo’s contract now secured, Barcelona also have other players to tend to. The contracts of both Pedri and Gavi