FC Barcelona's squad list for its Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund contained a huge and welcomed surprise when it was published on Tuesday morning in Catalonia.
Defensive stalwart Ronald Araujo had to leave the field during a United States-held Copa America quarterfinal clash against Brazil for Uruguay back in July and hasn't been seen on the pitch since.
With the center back having to undergo surgery for a torn left biceps femoral tendon, his recovery period was estimated at around four months he exceeded that by remaining unavailable to a manager in Hansi Flick who he has yet to play for since the German replaced the ousted Xavi Hernandez.
In Araujo's absence, Pau Cubarsi and Inigo Martinez have held things down in the heart of the back line and have become one of club soccer's greatest defensive partnerships known for their expert use of the offside trap that enjoyed resounding success catching out Kylian Mbappe in a 4-0 thrashing of Real Madrid in El Clasico at the end of October.
Barca has gotten on fine without Barca thus far in topping La Liga and manning the top eight of the Champions League phase, still what team wouldn't like to be able to boast a figure regarded as one of the best in his position worldwide, who has been previously linked to clubs such as Bayern Munich and Manchester United.
Returning to training the last few weeks, Araujo has finally made a 2024/2025 squad list for Barc which could be seen when it was published on Tuesday morning in Catalonia.
His inclusion was quickly picked up upon by the likes of SPORT, which speculated whether Araujo was merely travelling with the rest of the group to Germany as he hadn't yet received medical clearance to play.
A few minutes after sharing the squad list, however, the club confirmed on its Catalan X account that Araujo had indeed done so, meaning he could earn minutes for the first time since the summer at the Westfalenstadion.
Flick is highly unlikely to throw Araujo straight in at the deep end considering how long he's been out, so expect Cubarsi and Inigo to start against last season's UCL runners-up, as per usual.