FC Barcelona center back Ronald Araujo stated his case to be considered the greatest defender currently plying his trade in La Liga, and among the best in the world in the position, with a masterclass against Villarreal on Sunday night.

An 18th minute goal from Pedri was enough for Barca to take the points home to Catalonia and now boast 11 more than bitter rivals Real Madrid at the summit.

Had it not been for the heroics of their Uruguayan number ‘4’, however, a different story might have been told at the Estadio de la Ceramica.

Across a full 90 minutes, Araujo gave Yeremy Pino hell and was always a step ahead against the Spain international.

Every time the Spain international seemed to have broken free, the ex-Boston River man was there to make important clearances and snuff out any danger.

With a stellar performance many felt topped that which official Man of the Match Pedri put in, Araujo had the most tackles, won the most duels – of which 100% were won on the ground – and made four recoveries.

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His coach Xavi Hernandez said that Araujo is the player that has improved the most on the ball since he took over the reins from Ronald Koeman in November 2021, and this was supported by him also completing 23 out of his 26 passes.

The display felt like a coming of age for Araujo. His quality has been known for some time, but as Barca picked up their 11th consecutive win across all competitions, Araujo arrived in the conversation to be considered La Liga’s best center back and one of the best on the planet aged 23.

Post-match, ESPN’s Barca correspondent Moises Llorens posed: “If Ronald Araujo were to play for another La Liga team, everyone would already be saying he’s the best defender in the world…”

In a touchline interview, however, a humble Araujo focused on the collective despite being asked to comment on the “great night” he’d had.

“First of all I’m very happy about the win,” he said. “It was so important to win today, it’s always tough at this ground against a really good opponent.

“I’m happy to have helped my team defensively and up front when I had to. We put three points on the board today. We kept a clean sheet, and I think we’re working really well defensively and going forward as well,” Araujo added.

Suspended for the Blaugrana’s next La Liga fixture against Cadiz, Araujo is certain to get the nod for one of the biggest games of the season when Barca take on Manchester United in the Europa League on Thursday.