‘Of course, it crossed my mind’: Frenkie de Jong on refusing to leave Barcelona and his World Cup pain

Midfielder broke a Barça Dutch record last week and is potentially one win from a third league title with team he visited as a teenager for fun A warm sun bathes the Barcelona training ground as Frenkie de Jong arrives to chat. The midfielder’s work is done for the day and the Netherlands international is in his comfort zone here, the first team’s longest-serving player, a regular captain and effortlessly fluent in Spanish. It is a far cry from the day just over 10 years ago when he visited the Camp Nou. In late December 2015 De Jong made the most of the Eredivisie’s winter shutdown to take a city break in Barcelona with his now wife, Mikky. He was 18 and days from linking up with Ajax, who had signed him four months earlier but loaned him back to Willem II, and he managed to get tickets for Barcelona v Real Betis.

Interview Arthur Renard in Barcelona Midfielder broke a Barça Dutch record last week and is potentially one win from a third league title with team he visited as a teenager for fun A warm sun bathes the Barcelona training ground as Frenkie de Jong arrives to chat. In late December 2015 De Jong made the most of the Eredivisie’s winter shutdown to take a city break in Barcelona with his now wife, Mikky. He was 18 and days from linking up with Ajax, who had signed him four months earlier but loaned him back to Willem II, and he managed to get tickets for Barcelona v Real Betis. Before the match Barça posed with the five trophies they had won in 2015 – La Liga , Champions League, Club World Cup, Super Cup and Copa del Rey – and De Jong witnessed Lionel Messi score on his 500th appearance for the club. “I clearly remember sitting there, watching Messi, Neymar and [Luis] Suárez, with Barça winning 4-0,” De Jong says.

“It means a lot to me,” De Jong said. That will be secured if Barcelona win at Osasuna on Saturday and Real Madrid slip up at Espanyol the next day. Otherwise it rolls on to Barcelona v Madrid the following Sunday. “You’re expected to win trophies every year,” De Jong says, but he knew patience was needed after the Covid period. Manchester United and Chelsea were seriously interested and Barcelona made attempts to facilitate a move.

“Of course, it’s crossed your mind at times, like: ‘OK, what should I do?’” De Jong says. Sometimes in football people don’t watch objectively, without even realising it.” For De Jong it is all about football. De Jong reflects on the pivotal role his grandfather played then, driving him to training. At the Bernabéu two years ago, De Jong sustained a serious ankle injury which sidelined him for more than five months. De Jong has also cemented a positive relationship with Marcus Rashford, on loan from Manchester United.

“A really good guy,” De Jong says. “We have a lot of p Midfielder broke a Barça Dutch record last week and is potentially one win from a third league title with team he visited as a teenager for fun A warm sun bathes the Barcelona training ground as Frenkie de Jong arrives to chat. In late December 2015 De Jong made the most of the Eredivisie’s winter shutdown to take a city break in Barcelona with his now wife, Mikky. He was 18 and days from linking up with Ajax, who had signed him four months earlier but loaned him back to Willem II, and he managed to get tickets for Barcelona v Real Betis. ‘Of course, it crossed my mind’: Frenkie de Jong on refusing to leave Barcelona and his World Cup pain