Barcelona opened their La Liga campaign in the scrappiest manner possible. The match between the Blaugarana and Getafe recorded a massive total of 31 fouls. Of the thirty-one skirmishes, 8 yellow cards and 2 red cards were dished out between both sides. The match was also marred by dodgy officiating decisions. However, what stood out most had Barcelona star, Ronald Araujo, involved.

In an incomprehensible move, the Uruguayan defender used his hands to catch a ball that was going way above him while he was in the middle of the pitch. The video clip of this funny incident has since gone viral with fans trolling the 24-year-old.

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For most athletes, your skills being likened to LeBron James is a compliment of the highest order. The whole narrative changes, however, when you are a soccer player mainly reliant on your lower body to win matches. In the 48th minute of the match, Ronaldo Araujo bizzarely chose to jump and catch the ball while it was in play to prevent an overhit cross-field pass from going out of bounds.

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This unusual incident and the defender have been the butt of jokes on social media. What’s even more funny was the referee’s choice to not give Araujo a yellow card, even though it was a clear handball. Thanks to these two mind-boggling incidents, soccer Twitter had a field day cracking jokes throughout. Here are some of the best ones!

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While many fans were amused at the match, others poked fun at the player himself.

Last, but not least, there were jibes taken at the referee himself who somehow missed raising a card against Araujo for the foul.

As funny as the memes are, players and fans alike wondered why Araujo did what he did. Luckily for us, the man himself cleared our curiosity post-match.

Ronald Araujo reveals the reason behind catching the ball with his hands

Despite being an eventful match, the match had no goals. As expected, the defending champions were upset with a dull affair like this. Barcelona’s Ronald Araujo, Frenkie De Jong, and Marc Andre Ter Stegen attended the post-match presser to air their frustration. Despite the presence of Frenkie and Ter Stegen, the press was curious to talk to Araujo to know why he did what he did. While many expected a spicy answer, the 24-year-old meekly replied that he misjudged his position at the touchline.

“I caught the ball with my hands because I thought I was outside the pitch, but it’s nothing,” brushed off the Uruguayan. The player didn’t shy away from blasting the officiating standards. Araujo was unhappy with a potential penalty call being shot down alleging handball by teammate Gavi. And so, he aired his grievances in the presser. “There was a clear penalty, even the player who took me down admitted it to me. I didn’t see any handball by Gavi,” said the defender.

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