In football, the stories are not limited to the struggle within the green rectangle; they sometimes extend to human situations that reflect the true values of the world's most popular game.

One of these situations involved Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior, who took the initiative to contact Barcelona defender Ronald Araújo to check on him and offer psychological support during a difficult period the Uruguayan player was going through.

This initiative came in late 2025 when Araujo decided to temporarily stop playing football after experiencing significant psychological pressure due to harsh criticism and attacks directed at him and his family.

Those pressures, as he revealed in an interview with "Mundo Deportivo," pushed him into a phase of anxiety that later turned into depression, necessitating a break to regain his balance and self-confidence, both as a player and as a person.

Araujo explained that his wife was the first to alert him to the seriousness of the situation, which marked a turning point in his decision to take a temporary break and reorganize his daily life, away from the pressures of the sports field.

During that period, the Barcelona defender was not alone, as he received support from his family and several colleagues in the football community. However, Vinicius's call had a special impact. Despite being a direct rival in the El Clasico matches, the Brazilian star showed remarkable empathy, reflecting a spirit of camaraderie and humanity beyond the competition.

A few days later, that call translated into a hug between the two parties, along with other Real Madrid players like Dani Carvajal and Dani Ceballos, in a scene that confirmed that football, despite the intensity of competition, remains above all a game that brings together professionals who share the same emotions and challenges.