Maximiliano "Maxi" Javier Araújo Vilches (born 15 February 2000) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a left-back or left wing-back for Primeira Liga club Sporting CP and the Uruguay national team.
Club career Araújo is a youth academy graduate of Montevideo Wanderers. He made his professional debut for the club on 11 March 2018 in a 2–1 league win against Montevideo City Torque.
At the end of December 2019 it was confirmed, Araújo had signed a deal until the end of 2023 with Liga MX club Puebla.El uruguayo Maximiliano Araujo reforzará la defensa de Puebla, mediotiempo.com, 27 December 2019
On 27 August 2024, Araújo joined Primeira Liga club Sporting CP on a five-year contract. On 5 November 2024, Araújo scored his debut goal in the UEFA Champions League against Manchester City in a 4–1 victory. On 4 August 2026, he extended his contract until 2030.
International career As a youth international, Araújo has represented Uruguay at the 2019 South American U-20 Championship, 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup, 2019 Pan American Games and the 2020 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament.
On 21 October 2022, Araújo was named in Uruguay's 55-man preliminary squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. However, he was not included in the final squad, which was announced three weeks later. In June 2023, he received his first call-up to the senior team for friendly matches against Nicaragua and Cuba. He made his debut on 14 June in a 4–1 win against Nicaragua.
On 31 May 2026, Araújo was named in Uruguay's 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. On 15 June, in Uruguay's opener against Saudi Arabia, Araújo scored his first World Cup goal with equalizer to ensure a 1–1 draw. In Uruguay's second group-stage match against Cape Verde, he registered a goal and an assist, becoming the first Uruguayan player to achieve this feat at a World Cup since Juan Mujica in 1970.
Personal life He is the elder brother of fellow professional footballer César Araújo. In June 2026, unverified claims circulated on social media, primarily in India, alleging that Araújo had family origins in Portuguese Goa and that his grandfather had emigrated to Uruguay. However, these claims were not supported by reliable sources and were publicly denied by people close to him.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsMontevideo Wanderers2018Uruguayan Primera División14000—00—1402019Uruguayan Primera División19100—00—191Total33100—00—331Puebla2019–20Liga MX1000———102020–21Liga MX252————2522021–22Liga MX384————3842022–23Liga MX192————192Total83800———838Toluca2022–23Liga MX196————1962023–24Liga MX343——20404032024–25Liga MX21———3152Total5510——20716411Sporting CP2024–25Primeira Liga2835030101—4642025–26Primeira Liga295505011210477Total57810040213109311Career total22827100802338027330
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsUruguay2023712024132202560202685Total348
Scores and results list Uruguay's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Araújo goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Maximiliano AraújoNo.DateVenueCapOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 20 June 2023 Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay 2 2–0 2–0 Friendly2 23 June 2024 Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, United States 9 1–0 3–1 2024 Copa América3 27 June 2024 MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, United States 10 3–0 5–0 2024 Copa América4 15 June 2026 Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, United States 29 1–1 1–1 2026 FIFA World Cup5 21 June 2026 Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, United States 30 1–1 2–2 2026 FIFA World Cup6 24 September 2026 Miyagi Stadium, Rifu, Japan 32 1–1 1–3 Friendly7 6 October 2026 Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata, India 34 2–1 6–1 Friendly8 4–1
Honours Sporting CP Primeira Liga: 2024–25 Taça de Portugal: 2024–25
Uruguay Copa América third place: 2024
Individual Primeira Liga Team of the Season: 2025–26
References
External links Profile at the Sporting CP website Profile at the Uruguayan Football Association website