| César Araújo | |
| Fullname: | César Nahuel Araújo Vilches |
| Birth Date: | 2 April 2001 |
| Birth Place: | Montevideo, Uruguay |
| Height: | 1.78 m |
| Position: | Midfielder |
| Currentclub: | Orlando City |
| Clubnumber: | 5 |
| Youthclubs1: | Marconi FC |
| Youthclubs2: | Montevideo Wanderers |
| Years1: | 2019–2021 |
| Clubs1: | Montevideo Wanderers |
| Caps1: | 58 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 2022– |
| Clubs2: | Orlando City |
| Caps2: | 90 |
| Goals2: | 2 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2024 |
| Nationalteam1: | Uruguay U23 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 5 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 1 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2024– |
| Nationalteam2: | Uruguay |
| Nationalcaps2: | 1 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 0 |
| Club-Update: | 20 July 2024 |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 5 June 2024 |
César Nahuel Araújo Vilches (born 2 April 2001) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club Orlando City and the Uruguay national team.[1]
Growing up in Cerrito, Montevideo, Araújo played for youth club Marconi FC before joining the academy at Montevideo Wanderers. On 1 August 2019, Araújo made his professional debut as a 68th-minute substitute in a 2–1 defeat to Brazilian side Corinthians in the 2019 Copa Sudamericana round of 16.[2] He didn't make another senior appearance for 12 months until substituting on for his Uruguayan Primera División debut on 9 August 2020 in a 2–0 win against Boston River.[3] At the end of the 2021 season, Araújo was named on the bench in the Primera División Team of the Year.[4] He was also named Wanderers' Player of the Year in 2021.[5]
On 7 January 2022, Araújo transferred to Major League Soccer team Orlando City for a reported $2,000,000 fee.[6] He signed a three-year contract with an additional option year and joined as part of the new MLS U22 initiative.[7] Having never previously scored a goal in his senior club career spanning 88 matches, Araújo scored his first goals on 27 July 2022 when he netted twice during a 5–1 victory over New York Red Bulls in a 2022 U.S. Open Cup semifinal.[8]
Araújo was named to multiple Uruguay under-20 training camps in 2020 and 2021.[9] [10]
On 7 January 2022, Araújo received his first senior Uruguay national team call-up as part of a 50-player preliminary roster for 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.[11] On 21 October 2022, he was named in Uruguay's 55-man preliminary squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[12]
Araújo made his debut on 5 June 2024 in a friendly against Mexico at the Empower Field at Mile High in Denver. He substituted Rodrigo Bentancur in the 89th minute as Uruguay won 4–0.[13]
Araújo has five siblings. His oldest brother, Maximiliano Araújo, is also a professional footballer for Toluca.[3]
| Season | League | National cup | Continental | Playoffs | Other | Total | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Montevideo Wanderers | 2019 | Uruguayan Primera División | 0 | 0 | — | 1[14] | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 2020 | 29 | 0 | — | — | 1[15] | 0 | — | 30 | 0 | ||||||
| 2021 | 29 | 0 | — | 2[16] | 0 | — | 1[17] | 0 | 32 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 58 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 63 | 0 | |||
| Orlando City | 2022 | Major League Soccer | 32 | 0 | 6 | 2 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 39 | 2 | |||
| 2023 | 36 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 44 | 2 | |||
| 2024 | 22 | 1 | — | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 28 | 1 | ||||||
| Total | 90 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 111 | 5 | |||
| Career total | 134 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 174 | 5 | |||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uruguay | 2024 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 1 | 0 | ||