FC Barcelona's elimination in the UEFA Champions League semifinals at the hands of Inter Milan not only ended their European campaign, but also sparked a wave of criticism toward Ronald Araújo. The Uruguayan defender has limited comments on his Instagram posts after receiving a flood of hostile messages from Barça fans blaming him for the collapse.

The mistake that changed everything

Araújo came on in the 76th minute with Barcelona leading 3-2 on aggregate. However, his substitution didn’t have the intended effect. He was directly involved in the two late goals that completed Inter’s comeback (3-3 on the night, 4-3 on aggregate). For the equalizer, Francesco Acerbi beat him to a header in the box. Minutes later, Marcus Thuram outpaced Araújo and assisted Davide Frattesi for the goal that sent the Italian side to the Champions League final.

Following the match, the defender was bombarded with negative and even abusive comments on Instagram, prompting him to restrict replies on his recent posts. Among the messages were remarks like "Get out of the club" and "Worst defender in history", which led him to take action against the digital harassment.

Araújo responds

Despite the heavy criticism, Araújo took accountability after the match:

"On the fourth goal, it was a very fast play—the forward placed it perfectly. For the third, I'm usually strong in one-on-ones and I should have done better. But this is football, you have to keep your head up."

Spanish outlets like AS and Sport have been harsh in their assessments of Araújo, with growing speculation about his future at Barcelona. Despite being under contract until 2031, his market value may take a hit after this performance, and several Premier League clubs are reportedly monitoring the situation.