Tribal Football

Sporting CP whiz Araújo and an invitation from Guardiola to Man City: Hopefully!

Bruno Henriques
Maxi Araújo and an invitation from Guardiola to City: "Hopefully"
Maxi Araújo and an invitation from Guardiola to City: "Hopefully"Action Plus
Maxi Araújo and Franco Israel joined the Uruguay squad for their South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. The winger discussed his conversation with Pep Guardiola, while the goalkeeper called for a chance in the national team goal.

After the victory over Manchester City (4-1) in the Champions League, Araújo was photographed talking to City manager Guardiola. The Sporting winger shared the photo on social media and it ended up being the topic of conversation on his arrival in Uruguay.

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"It's true, I asked for a photo and we spent a few minutes talking about the game, it was very nice," said  Araújo, who was asked about a possible invitation from Guardiola to Manchester City, to which he replied with a shy: "I hope so."

At Carrasco International Airport, Maxi also spoke about adapting to European football.

"I'm happy to be getting a lot of minutes at my club. I think I'm adapting well and it's not always easy. It's this kind of thing that makes us admire players like Federico Valverde, Rodrigo Bentancur and Manuel Ugarte, because playing in Europe is complicated. But I'm adapting very well," he said.

Getting more and more minutes, Maxi Araújo recognised that he was satisfied: "It cost me a bit at first, the team was already set up, but now I'm getting some space. I've played several games as a starter and that's important to me."

Meanwhile, Sporting keeper Israel has expressed his desire to take over the Uruguay goal as well.  

"I'm getting continuity, which was crucial. The team is in a good moment, we've won every game in La Liga, we're still in the Portuguese Cup, the League Cup and we're unbeaten in the Champions League. That also helps me individually. When you win, it's easier to correct mistakes," he said, then let slip: "I'm doing my job, I think I'm at a good level, but the choice is falling on Sergio Rochet and he's at a good level."

Uruguay are third in South American qualifying for the 2026 World Cup and will face Colombia and Brazil in this international round.