Liverpool Reveal Ronald Araujo’s Jersey Number After Completing Loan Deal

Liverpool have completed a deal to bring in Barcelona center back Ronald Araújo on a season-loan, the Merseyside club announced Monday evening. The Reds have not paid a loan fee but will cover all of Araújo’s wages for the new season. They will also have the option to make the move permanent next summer for $63.6 million (€55 million, £47.1 million). Barcelona sporting director Deco was reportedly involved in the hasty negotiations.

“I can’t wait to get started. I’m very, very happy,” Araújo said, after also taking a pay cut to make the deal happen. “I’m excited to be here at this massive club with lots of history. I’m excited to meet my teammates, excited to get started playing and I’m very motivated and really up for getting going.

“I think it was the ideal move for me at this stage in my career. I think it was a move that was necessary for me to take. As soon as I heard that interest from Liverpool, everything went into action really, really quickly.

“As I say, I’m super happy to be here and excited to get started. I’m glad about the interest and it was the right move at the right time.”

The move comes amid Araújo falling in Barcelona’s defensive pecking order and Liverpool in dire need of center back reinforcements, a situation that has only gotten worse since the start of preseason. Virgil van Dijk, Jérémy Jacquet, Joe Goméz and Giovanni Leoni are Liverpool’s senior center backs; however, the latter three have all been plagued with injuries, and Van Dijk has yet to feature since the World Cup and has questionable durability at 35 years old.

Liverpool Reveals Ronald Araujo’s Jersey Number

Introducing our 🆕 no.33 👊 pic.twitter.com/T46iSceRLu
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 10, 2026

Araújo will don No. 33 in the Premier League this season, a jersey number the 27-year-old hasn’t sported since the 2019–20 season with Barcelona, his debut year at the club.

The number hasn’t been wore at Liverpool in a decade, since Jordon Ibe donned the digits in 2016. The jersey number was previously wore by Jonjo Shelvey, Sebastian Leto and Neil Mellor, dating back to 2002–03.

“It’s a number that I like, a number that is special to me,” Araújo said of his reasoning for choosing No. 33. “Funnily enough, way back when I made my debut as a professional, that was the number I was wearing back then.

“But it has a personal meaning for me as well, it has a meaning which is all to do with my faith and my relationship with Jesus and God and religion.

“It’s a subject I spoke about and had a good conversation about with my friends, my family, my partner and my parents. It’s a number I’m very pleased on a number of levels to be wearing.”

Araújo sported No. 4 for the past six seasons with Barcelona; however, that number is currently held by Van Dijk at Liverpool.

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