Álvaro Cortés: Barcelona's Answer to Araujo's Departure
Ronald Araújo’s move to Liverpool has ripped a hole straight through the heart of Barcelona’s defence. Instead of rushing to plug it with a big-name signing, the club has chosen a different, very Barça response.
They’re turning to La Masia.
And at the centre of that bet stands Álvaro Cortés.
From academy project to Araujo’s heir
Inside the club, the message is clear: Cortés is not just another promising centre-back. According to SPORT, Barcelona see the 21-year-old as the direct successor to the departing captain, and that belief has reshaped their entire defensive planning.
The original roadmap was already ambitious. Cortés was due to stay with the first team this season after making his debut under Hansi Flick last year. But Araújo’s exit has fast-tracked everything. What was a gradual integration is now a straight invitation to fight for real minutes.
His debut offered a glimpse of why the staff are so convinced. Flick didn’t just throw him on for a few safe minutes at the end of a settled game. He started him. On the left side of central defence. In a role that, at Barcelona, carries a heavy tactical responsibility.
That left-sided centre-back position is a cornerstone of the club’s build-up play and defensive structure. It demands composure, passing range, and the courage to defend high with plenty of space behind. Cortés handled it well enough to leave a lasting impression on the coach and the sporting director.
Flick and Deco all-in on Cortés
Inside the sporting department, there’s no ambiguity. Hansi Flick and Deco are fully sold on Cortés’ trajectory.
The plan for him to remain with the first team was in place before Liverpool came calling for Araújo. That transfer has simply hardened the club’s stance. With one less heavyweight centre-back in the rotation, the path has opened up even more for the academy graduate.
So much so that Barcelona have effectively stepped away from the chase for a direct replacement. Names like Cristian Romero and Aymeric Laporte have been pushed off the table. Not because the club wouldn’t rate them, but because the staff believe they already have the profile they need in-house.
Flick looks at his options and sees a defensive unit he can work with: Pau Cubarsí as the reference point, Gerard Martin and Andreas Christensen as reliable partners, and Cortés as the emerging piece with a specific, valuable skill set. Behind them, Eric Garcia, Jules Koundé and even Rodri, who has experience dropping into the back line, offer cover when the schedule tightens.
This is not a squad built on star-studded signings. It’s one built on trust in a defined idea of football.
Built for Flick’s back line
Cortés fits that idea almost perfectly.
At around 1.90 metres, he brings the kind of physical presence Barcelona have often lacked in recent years. He dominates in the air, doesn’t shy away from contact, and relishes direct duels. Yet the club’s confidence in him goes far beyond size and strength.
He reads the game with maturity. He steps out of the line at the right moments, attacks interceptions instead of waiting, and is comfortable defending high up the pitch with a lot of grass at his back. In Flick’s aggressive defensive scheme, where the back line is pushed up and the team looks to squeeze opponents, those traits are non-negotiable.
Then there’s the ball.
Cortés is naturally left-footed, which immediately gives balance to the build-up. He can break lines, switch play, and start attacks from deep without needing to adjust his body shape. His passing is not just safe; it’s purposeful. That’s a crucial difference for a club that still wants its centre-backs to act as playmakers when the game demands it.
Cubarsí remains the central pillar of the defence, the player around whom the back line is being built. Martin can also operate on that left side and offers his own guarantees. But Cortés brings a different mix: height, anticipation, and that left-footed distribution that can tilt the pitch in Barcelona’s favour.
It’s enough for the club to resist the temptation of a quick fix in the transfer market.
Market on pause, opportunity wide open
None of this means Barcelona have slammed the door on signing another defender forever. The sporting department continues to monitor the squad’s balance and the demands of a long season. If injuries pile up or the youngsters struggle under the weight of expectation, the conversation could change.
For now, though, Araújo’s departure has done something few expected: it has elevated Álvaro Cortés from “one for the future” to a central figure in Barcelona’s present.
The club has made its bet. La Masia, again, is the answer.
Now the question is simple and ruthless, as it always is at this level: can Cortés turn that faith into performances when the spotlight hits and the margin for error disappears?
