Barcelona defender Araujo granted leave to seek spiritual help in Jerusalem

MADRID, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- FC Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo has been given permission by the club to visit Jerusalem to seek spiritual support as he deals with mental health issues in recent weeks.

The 26-year-old Uruguayan central defender, one of the club captains, has missed Barcelona's recent matches due to episodes of emotional difficulty, and Barcelona-based sports newspapers Diario Sport and El Mundo Deportivo both report that he began his journey by flying to Tel Aviv on Tuesday.

The player's plan is apparently to look for spiritual guidance to try to resolve his problems, although the club has preferred not to comment, with coach Hansi Flick saying in a recent press conference that it was a "private issue," for the player, who is known to have strong religious convictions.

Araujo has a contract with Barcelona until the end of June 2031 after only recently signing a new deal amid interest from Italian side Juventus. Enditem