In FIFA 23 there are many strong defenders like Rüdiger, Tomori, or Militao. However, they are quite expensive. Another particularly cheap center-back can also defend goals brilliantly: Ronald Araujo.
What kind of player is he? Ronald Araujo plays for FC Barcelona and can play both center-back and right-back positions in FIFA 23. To do this, you only need a position modifier.
His card currently costs just around 1,000 coins in Ultimate Team, making it a real bargain. However, one shouldn’t be deceived by the low price: Araujo is making a name for himself in the FIFA community as a really hard-to-overcome defender.
His card has an 83 rating, but it has exactly the values you need from a strong center-back in FIFA 23, if you look closely. This is especially true when equipped with a “Shadow” chemistry style at full chemistry.
- The pace value of 77 consists of a 68 acceleration and an 84 sprint speed. Once Araujo gets going, he is really fast.
- With the “Shadow”, this increases to an 85 speed value with 76 acceleration and 92 sprint speed. That’s really good.
- Araujo also gets the strong Lengthy running style with “Shadow”.
- The defensive value increases to 90 with Shadow, with none of the defensive values being below 86.
- Physically, Araujo also stands out with good values in jumping (87), strength (86), and aggression (84).
Yes, in terms of shooting, passing, and dribbling, Araujo isn’t exceptional. But the defender doesn’t need to be to disrupt the opponent’s offense. Apparently, some FIFA players agree.
What players say about Araujo in FIFA 23
If you look at the ranking of the most popular center-backs in FIFA 23 on futbin, Araujo has moved up to 2nd place among users – only behind Rulebreakers Alaba.
The special thing about it: This allows him to leave significantly more expensive cards, like Rüdiger, Koundé, and Varane, but also icons like Gullit or Matthäus behind in the ranking. You can find more strong cards for little coins here.
Such cards may be better than Araujo, but the price-performance ratio is simply unbeatable. The defender has also made an impression on the FIFA subreddit.
For example, one user asked: “What is the most annoying card you have played against this year?” He himself cites Araujo as an example: “For me, it’s Araujo. Every time I play against him, no matter how bad the opponent is, he is always way too fast and strong for any attacker I use,” writes user “EPICKID143” (via reddit).
Others join in:
- “Araujo as right-back,” responds one user (via reddit) and even describes him as “the best right-back he has ever seen” (via reddit).
- “I came here to say that because I thought I was the only one playing against this card at RB… the most frustrating thing I’ve experienced in FIFA for a long time,” agrees another (via reddit).
- “He is Kimpembe Version 2,” finds a user (via reddit). Kimpembe was a defender in past FIFAs who was much stronger than his stats suggested.
- “For the price – definitely Araujo. Expensive – Haaland. Especially because everyone uses him” (via reddit).
- “Danjuma and Araujo make me very angry” (via reddit).
Danjuma and Haaland are other names that often come up in the discussion – just like Darwin Nunez, Ousmane Dembélé, and Alexander Sorloth. But in terms of defense, Araujo seems to fill a niche that few other defenders reach for this price.
So if you’re looking for a strong defender for your team that doesn’t cost too many coins, Araujo could be worth a try – especially if you already have LaLiga players in your team and can integrate him well at full chemistry.
Which players do you prefer to use in FIFA 23? And which ones do you absolutely dislike? Let us know in the comments.
Speaking of cheap, strong players: Recently, an unusual striker caught attention.
