US-Born Mexico International Julian Araujo Makes Barcelona Debut In Friendly Win Over Andres Iniesta's Vissel Kobe

Julian Araujo made his first-team debut for Barcelona on Tuesday as the Spanish champions finished the 2022/23 season with a 2-0 friendly win over Vissel Kobe.

Julian Araujo made his first-team debut for Barcelona on Tuesday as the Spanish champions finished the 2022/23 season with a 2-0 friendly win over Vissel Kobe in Japan.

The 21-year-old right back, who joined Barca from LA Galaxy in February, played the full 90 minutes at Tokyo's National Stadium.

California-born Mexico international Araujo was one of only three Barca players to complete the full game. The others were Eric Garcia and Pau Prim.

Julian Araujo pictured (right) making his Barcelona debut in a friendly match against Vissel Kobe in Japan in June 2023 :: IMAGO/AFLOSPORT

Garcia got on the scoresheet with a powerful header on 19 minutes, moments after a calm finish from Franck Kessie had given Barca the lead.

The likes of Robert Lewandowski, Ansu Fati, Frenkie De Jong and Raphinha all played 45 minutes each.

But the biggest star was playing for Kobe in the form of Andres Iniesta.

Iniesta Forever ∞ pic.twitter.com/AkeeLHazF5

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) June 6, 2023

The 39-year-old, who made almost 700 appearances for Barca between 2002 and 2018, got fans on their feet on multiple occasions during his 81 minutes of game time.

But this was a rare start for Iniesta, who has been mostly used as a substitute in the J1 League this season.

Iniesta recently announced plans to leave Kobe due to this lack of time on the pitch but insisted that he did not yet want to retire.

Match Highlights: Vissel Kobe 0-2 Barcelona

🍿 HIGHLIGHTS | Barça beat Iniesta and Vissel Kobe in Tokyo as season draws to a close pic.twitter.com/0dp4Ski1nE

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) June 6, 2023