César Araújo

César Nahuel Araújo Vilches (born 2 April 2001) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club Orlando City and the Uruguay national team.[1]

César Araújo
Personal information
Full nameCésar Nahuel Araújo Vilches
Date of birth (2001-04-02) 2 April 2001 (age 23)
Place of birthMontevideo, Uruguay
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Orlando City
Number5
Youth career
Marconi FC
Montevideo Wanderers
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2019–2021Montevideo Wanderers58(0)
2022–Orlando City84(1)
International career
2024Uruguay U235(1)
2024–Uruguay1(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22 June 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 5 June 2024

Club career

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Montevideo Wanderers

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Growing up in Cerrito, Montevideo, Araújo played for youth club Marconi FC before joining the academy at Montevideo Wanderers. On 1 August 2019, Araújo made his professional debut as a 68th-minute substitute in a 2–1 defeat to Brazilian side Corinthians in the 2019 Copa Sudamericana round of 16.[2] He didn't make another senior appearance for 12 months until substituting on for his Uruguayan Primera División debut on 9 August 2020 in a 2–0 win against Boston River.[3] At the end of the 2021 season, Araújo was named on the bench in the Primera División Team of the Year.[4] He was also named Wanderers' Player of the Year in 2021.[5]

Orlando City

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On 7 January 2022, Araújo transferred to Major League Soccer team Orlando City for a reported $2,000,000 fee.[6] He signed a three-year contract with an additional option year and joined as part of the new MLS U22 initiative.[7] Having never previously scored a goal in his senior club career spanning 88 matches, Araújo scored his first goals on 27 July 2022 when he netted twice during a 5–1 victory over New York Red Bulls in a 2022 U.S. Open Cup semifinal.[8]

International career

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Araújo was named to multiple Uruguay under-20 training camps in 2020 and 2021.[9][10]

On 7 January 2022, Araújo received his first senior Uruguay national team call-up as part of a 50-player preliminary roster for 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.[11] On 21 October 2022, he was named in Uruguay's 55-man preliminary squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[12]

Araújo made his debut on 5 June 2024 in a friendly against Mexico at the Empower Field at Mile High in Denver. He substituted Rodrigo Bentancur in the 89th minute as Uruguay won 4–0.[13]

Personal life

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Araújo has five siblings. His oldest brother, Maximiliano Araújo, is also a professional footballer for Toluca.[3]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of 22 June 2024[1]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational cupContinentalPlayoffsOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Montevideo Wanderers2019Uruguayan
Primera División
001[a]010
20202901[b]0300
20212902[c]01[d]0320
Total58000301010630
Orlando City2022Major League Soccer3206210392
202336110203031442
202416030190
Total841725040311024
Career total1281728050401654

International

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As of match played 5 June 2024[1]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Uruguay202410
Total10

Honours

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Club

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Orlando City

References

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  1. ^ a b c "C. Araújo - Soccerway profile". Soccerway.
  2. ^ "César Araújo: 20 años de puro profesionalismo y afán de superación". El Observador (in Spanish).
  3. ^ a b "Debutantes de la 4a fecha del Torneo Apertura 2020". 13 August 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  4. ^ "¡El 11 ideal del Campeonato Uruguayo en los Premios AUF!". ESPNdeportes.com (in Spanish). 28 December 2021.
  5. ^ "'Garra charrúa' para 'los Leones': César Araújo llega a Orlando". Univision (in Spanish).
  6. ^ "Wanderers: César Araújo dejó el "bohemio" y es nuevo jugador del Orlando City". futbol.com.uy - Montevideo Portal (in Spanish).
  7. ^ "Orlando City SC Acquires Uruguayan Midfielder César Araújo". www.orlandocitysc.com.
  8. ^ "Orlando City to host 2022 US Open Cup final after dominating New York Red Bulls". MLSSoccer.com.
  9. ^ "La sub-20 enfrentó a Danubio en el Complejo Celeste". www.auf.org.uy.
  10. ^ "29 futbolistas convocados para el primer entrenamiento del año". 25 February 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  11. ^ "Selección: Diego Alonso presentó su primera lista de reserva con muchas sorpresas". futbol.com.uy (in Spanish).
  12. ^ "Selección: Diego Alonso entregó la lista de 55 reservados para el Mundial de Catar" (in Spanish). 21 October 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  13. ^ "Mexico v Uruguay game report". ESPN. 5 June 2024.
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