Ronald Araujo looks like he’s finding his feet again after a tough 18 months battling anxiety and then depression. The Barcelona defender said, “The worst is behind me,” now that he’s back playing since January. He actually stepped away from the game last December to get better.

Araujo had lost his starting spot at Barcelona, and after getting sent off against Chelsea in November, he decided he needed a break. He came back in January and just made his first start last week against Albacete. In an interview on Tuesday, Araujo opened up about what he’s been through and said he feels like things are finally turning around.

There’s this moment that says a lot about how players look out for each other, even across rival clubs. While he was away from football, Vinicius Junior from Real Madrid actually called Araujo. These two have faced off plenty of times, but Vinicius reached out, checked in, and offered his support. After the Supercup final, Araujo and Vinicius hugged it out on the pitch. Dani Ceballos and Dani Carvajal did the same; they wanted to make sure he was okay.

Araujo talked about the support he’s had from players at other clubs, too. He said it really caught him off guard. “When I decided to stop, I didn’t think it’d get this kind of reaction, but we’re at Barca. Players from Italy, Germany, you name it, reached out. Some told me they’d gone through the same thing but stayed silent, maybe because they were afraid to stop, or worried about what people would think. A lot of them praised what I’d done.”

“They told me not to feel ashamed, that it took courage. Some even said it was what they’d wanted to do but hadn’t dared. I’m not going to give any names, but that lifted me.”

Araujo also spoke highly of Barcelona’s director of football, Deco, and manager Hansi Flick for how they handled everything, along with his teammates. He’s far from the first footballer to struggle with mental health, and he won’t be the last, but it’s still rare to see players talk about it so openly.

One of the candidates running for Barcelona’s presidency wants to bring Lionel Messi back, and he’s pitching a “three-pronged” plan to make it happen.

Messi’s story with Barcelona always felt like it would last forever, but things fell apart in 2021 when the club just ran out of money. Suddenly, he was out. Ever since, people haven’t stopped talking about whether and how he could make his way back home.

Messi kept his distance after leaving. For a while, he didn’t even set foot in Barcelona. Then, out of nowhere, he showed up at Camp Nou last November – no big announcement, just him slipping in for a visit.

Now, with a new election coming up, Victor Font is putting Messi front and centre in his campaign. He’s made it clear that fixing the club’s relationship with Messi is one of his top priorities.

“It’s crazy that Messi had to sneak into Camp Nou, that we cut ties with him but not with Real Madrid. That’s just unforgivable,” Font said on Spanish radio. “Making things right with Messi has to be a priority ever since he left.”

Font’s plan? He says fans are going to love it. The plan splits into three parts: institutional, commercial, and sporting. If he wins the presidency on March 15, he’s ready to show Messi exactly how he’ll make it work.

Font is up against Joan Laporta, who held the job until recently, when club rules forced him to step down. But Font isn’t on his own; he’s got Xavi, one of Barcelona’s all-time greats, backing him. Font says Xavi feels let down by the current board.

“Xavi’s really disappointed,” Font said. “He feels betrayed. He wants to see the club modernise, and he’s tired of the presidency being all about one person.”

As for Messi, his surprise November visit spoke volumes. Laporta apparently had no idea Messi was coming. When Messi posted about it on Instagram, he didn’t hide his feelings:

“Last night, I went back to a place I miss with all my heart,” he wrote beside his photos.

“I was so happy there. You made me feel like the happiest person in the world, over and over again.

I hope I can return one day, and not just to say goodbye as a player since I never got to do that…”

Of course, Messi isn’t free just yet. Back in October, he signed a contract extension with Inter Miami that keeps him there until 2028. But the dream of his Barcelona return? It’s definitely not dead.