With just over two months to go before the start of a new World Cup, national teams are fine-tuning details to be in top form, playing friendlies and assessing their group-stage opponents.
And it is in this context that one of Lamine Yamal’s teammates at Barcelona-the star of the Spain National Team-warned his own teammates on the Uruguay squad about this.
Araújo warns his teammates: pray
Uruguay is coming off a 1-1 draw against England at Wembley and is preparing to play its final friendly before announcing the 26-man roster for the 2026 World Cup. The match will be against Algeria at the Allianz Stadium in Turin, Italy, but defender Ronald Araújo is already thinking about a World Cup game.
Marcelo Bielsa’s team will face Spain in Group H (along with Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde) in a match that will pit two Barça stars against each other, which is why the game has taken on greater significance.
Araújo shares the locker room and the field with the 18-year-old star forward, Lamine Yamal, so he knows firsthand how he plays and how difficult it is to face him.
When asked about his teammate, Araújo highlighted Lamine’s talent and assured that everything he does in training he replicates on the field. However, the highlight came when he was asked to give some advice to Guillermo Varela or Joaquín Piquerez, to which the defender issued a warning to his teammates, saying, “If you all know how to pray, then pray,” he said with a laugh to AUFTV.
Then, a bit more seriously, he replied with complete confidence: “No, no, we have great players too,” he clarified. “Maybe we can stagger our approach, avoid playing one-on-one, because they’re very decisive players, but we have the tools to try to counter that.”
Araújo’s comment comes at a time when Yamal, at just 18 years old, has established himself as one of the biggest stars in world soccer, worrying not only traditional rivals but also his own teammates. Furthermore, Spain is shaping up to be one of the favorites to win the trophy this year, amplifying the impact.
Meanwhile, Uruguay will play its opening match against Saudi Arabia on June 15 at Hard Rock Stadium. They will then face Cape Verde on the 21st at the same venue before traveling to Mexico to play the highly anticipated match against Spain on the 26th at Akron Stadium in Guadalajara.
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