Julian Araujo’s Celtic form is attracting attention in Mexico.
Since joining on loan from Bournemouth in January, the 24-year-old has established himself as the team’s first-choice right-back and an unlikely fan favourite.
There are already calls for the move to be made permanent, though Araujo now has interest from Cruz Azul in the anticipation that his parent club will sell him in the next window.
He certainly seems to be enjoying his time at Celtic, but his ambitions to play in Liga MX are already on record.
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Celtic’s Julian Araujo on playing in Mexico
Speaking to ESPN’s Pena de La Liga in 2023, Araujo said: “As a child, I always imagined myself playing in Mexico.
“I’ve always watched Mexican league games. I’d like to try it before my career ends, to have that experience.
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“On my father’s side, I have a lot of family who are still in Mexico, I can’t see them regularly, and they can’t see me play unless the Mexican National Team calls me up and we’re in Mexico; then they can see me.
“It would make me very happy to play in Mexico, where I can receive support in every match and be a part of my daily life.
“I would definitely like to play in Mexico before I finish my career. I’m not closing myself off to that possibility, but football takes you in many directions.
“I’ll take it one step at a time, and right now I’m focused on establishing my career in LaLiga so that people here know me.”
Of course, there is still plenty of time for Araujo to play for both. Given the momentum he currently has in a Celtic jersey, it would make sense for him to stay.
Earlier this week, Mexico boss Javier Aguirre revealed talks with Araujo about a potential recall for the national side, with a home World Cup just around the corner.
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The career of Celtic’s Julian Araujo
Araujo made over 100 appearances for LA Galaxy, mostly as a teenager, earning himself a move to Barcelona which almost fell through when the transfer was signed off 14 seconds after the deadline.
The Catalan giants lodged a successful appeal, but Araujo never made a competitive appearance for the club, spending time on loan at Las Palmas in the 2023-24 season.
This led Bournemouth to sign him for €10million, and after a patchy first season, he fell out of favour during this campaign, leading to his loan to Glasgow.
Born and raised in the United States, he represented the USA at five different age levels before appearing in a friendly in 2020. However, he made the decision to switch to Mexico a year later, earning 16 caps since.
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