Report Yes Sir Chino Araujo UD Las Palmas to Spanish Football First Division 22 June 2015
His goal against Zaragoza, number 25 between regular season and promoting league, catapulted UD Las Palmas to First Division (Spanish Liga). Argentinian striker Sergio Araujo, given on loan by Boca Juniors, raised so much expectation when he arrived last summer. And he did not disappoint the crowd. In preseason against Marítimo de Funchal, el Chino amazed yellow fans with his dazzling talent. His goalscoring ability and his versatility to play as a centre forward or winger were some features the island squad was longing for with his signing. Momo, Culio, Viera, Nauzet y Ortuño, were among his allies to attack.
Yes, Sir ‘Chino’!
Sergio Araujo, UD Las Palmas striker, registers 25 goals and six doublets between regular season and play-off to Spanish First Division / His goalscoring instinct and tactical versatility are among his strengths
Eva Rancho
LA PROVINCIA / LAS PALMAS DE GRAN CANARIA, 22 June 2015
Yellow fans have seen him celebrate his goals in so many ways this season: drawing the “m” of his girlfriend’s name, with his hand behind his ear or with the military-style salute, but all of them have a common ground: a scorer’s ambition. There is no need for him to approach the penalty box to know that Sergio Ezequiel Araujo, popularly known as el Chino, smells the goal in the distance as UD Las Palmas striker. The last time he scored was against Zaragoza in the final of play-off, his number 25, that catapulted the island squad to the Spanish First Division (La Liga).
His goalscoring ability and versatility to play either as centre forward or winger were features Gran Canaria club was looking for last summer with his signing, whose burocracy was led by Nico Rodríguez, former UD Las Palmas Sports Manager and current member of Sporting de Gijón. Given on loan by Argentinian football club Boca Juniors, his arrival at Gran Canaria Airport on July 20th, 2014, raised so much expectation among yellow fans and the own club, owing to the T-Shirts he defended before: Boca Junior, Barça B y Tigre. And 23 years old pibe, born in Neuquén (Argentina), did not disappoint the crowd and in the preseason he already began to show part of his dazzling talent. Some followers have framed that amazing goal at Gran Canaria Stadium against Marítimo de Funchal (Madeira), one of the greatest teams in Portugal, on August 9th. Yellow striker overtook two enemies, nutmegged one of them, and he sent a right-footed powerful shot. On Siete Palmas district’s football pitch, el Chino already warned his next rivals: “Be careful, I will go for it!”.
And certainly that sweeping strength was a fact in the first match of Silver Division’s season against Llagostera at home on August 23rd, 2014. Minute 60, for the first time Araujo entered into the Spanish football records when he shot into the corner of the net, from the edge of the area, but goalkeeper René could do nothing about it.
The goal of the ‘pibe’ against Zaragoza in the final of play-off catapulted UD Las Palmas to Spanish First Division
Araujo quenched his 2-months goalscoring thirst against Ponferradina on March 28th.
Argentinian forward registers 25 goals, between regular season and play-off to First Division. By means of his six doublets (Lugo, Alcorcón, Recreativo de Huelva, Zaragoza, Ponferradina y FC Barcelona B) he helped Pío XII club to be leader of Silver Division over 22 ongoing weeks in the first part of the year and to end up the season as the best goalscoring team (73), along with Betis.
He is a right-footed finisher, he has quick legs, he is good at dribbling and running that overtakes rival defense. A proof is the two goals he scored against Ponferradina in Round 31. Ortuño passed him the ball from mid field and el Chino freely run like hell through the centre of berciana rear guard. Goalkeeper Dinu went out of his area and Araujo, after he slightly raised the ball with his right foot, finished the move with his left foot. Moreover other two goals against Alcorcón at Gran Canaria Stadium found a place in collective remembrance. Momo served the ball and Araujo controlled it in the borderline of the area, and between two opponents he found a tiny space to strike a inner right-footed rolling effect that ended up into the corner of goalkeeper Falcón’s net.
However, as the climb to the sports top, almost every striker suffers from a goalscoring thirst. Araujo did too. He scored on January 11th, 2015 against Zaragoza and the Argentinian quenched his thirst after two months with two goals against la Ponfe [Ponferradina] on March 28th, 2015.
His allies and future
Along the way, UD Las Palmas number 10 has had significant allies on his side. Followers used to see him in the centre of the attack and winger Momo, sometimes Culio and Viera, on the left, and Nauzet on the right. In round 33 against Girona, Araujo, slightly located on the left hand side of the pitch, built up a frightening trident with Nauzet, and Ortuño in the heart of the attack. Against la Ponfe, they came back together and all of them scored a goal.
Regarding his near future, the club tries to make a bid for the Argentinian player. As president Ramírez announced at the beginning of this month in UD Radio, yellow pichichi [the best scorer] will sign for the next 5 seasons, whether the team goes up or not to Spanish First Division, after paying Boca Junior his termination clause that roughly costs 2,5 million euros.
An acrobat at Barranco Seco training pitch In some training sessions at Barranco Seco, Sergio Araujo has showed his athletic conditions. On the right hand, last March el Chino jumped like an acrobat in order to catch the ball. Above lines, from left to right, his arrival at Gran Canaria Airport on July 20th, with Nico Rodríguez, former UD Las Palmas Sports Manager, who boosted his signing; el Chino prepares his leg to strike a right-footed shot during a preseason match against Marítimo de Funchal, at Gran Canaria Stadium last August; Argentinian striker celebrates the end of his goalscoring bad luck, that had already lasted 10 rounds, with a doublet against la Ponfe last March; the forward given on loan by Boca Juniors delighted La Romareda Stadium with his goal on May 31st, in the last but one round of the regular season. Araujo overtook Zaragoza goalkeeper Bono and contributed to the final result, 0-2.