When Frenkie de Jong signed for FC Barcelona in 2019, a childhood dream came true. He has now played 299 matches for the club, during which he has won several trophies, overcome sporting disappointments and established himself as one of the team’s captains. “Now that I’ve been playing football for a bit longer and am getting a bit older, I find myself reflecting more on moments like this,” says the 29-year-old De Jong about the milestone of 300 appearances, which he could reach tonight in the Champions League against Aston Villa. “Just like when I became the Dutch player with the most appearances for Barcelona. That makes me proud.” We spoke to De Jong in Barcelona about his career so far and his ambitions for the future. The Dutch player with the most appearances for Barcelona Frenkie de Jong has been the Dutch player with the most appearances for Barcelona for some time now. Last April, he made his 293rd appearance in a Barça shirt, overtaking Philip Cocu, who made 292 appearances for the Catalans. Whilst many footballers are quick to forget their matches, De Jong has an elephant’s memory when it comes to his own career. When asked about his debut match for Barcelona, he immediately starts laughing. “Yes, we lost that one to Bilbao. Aduriz’s overhead kick...” When it comes to the Champions League semi-final against Internazionale in 2025, he rattles off the figures straight away: “There were thirteen goals across the two legs, 4–3 and 3–3. In the second leg, we went 2–0 down in Milan and fought back to 2–2. We were definitely the better side in that match, but we conceded a goal in the last minute. A real let-down.” “I think Denzel Dumfries had a total of four assists and two goals in those matches,” De Jong sighs with a laugh. “Well, Denzel. Really annoying.” One of my fondest memories after 299 appearances for Barcelona’s Blaugrana is winning my first trophy, the Copa del Rey in 2021. “Your first trophy is always special, but I also scored in the final and provided two assists.” “I remember Lionel Messi coming over to me at half-time and saying: ‘You just need to keep making your runs; you’re in the game. Keep going and we’ll score.’ Then I scored that goal and he came over to me and said: ‘See, I told you so!’” “Messi is so good that he makes life easier for you as a team-mate,” says De Jong. “He’s not a loudmouth or someone who creates a fuss in the changing room. But when he speaks, everyone listens anyway. Because what he says hits the mark. In that sense, he’s a true leader.” De Jong is now one of Barcelona’s leaders. Just as he was once warmly welcomed by Sergio Busquets, he now tries to be there for young and new players himself. “I think setting a good example encourages others to follow suit. That’s the most important thing as a leader – in everything, really. It’s the same when it comes to bringing up children, for example. You have to set a good example yourself first, because if you say something and then don’t do it yourself, your words are meaningless.” For De Jong, there’s no doubt about it: he’s playing for his dream club. “My dad’s a huge fan of Johan Cruijff; we used to go on holiday in this region a lot when I was younger, and we’d always visit the stadium, which I love. And when I started watching football properly, Barcelona were also dominating under Pep Guardiola. That’s how I picked it all up, bit by bit.” De Jong would therefore not simply walk away from Barça. “There’s never been a moment when I thought: it’s better to leave. Otherwise, I’d probably have done so. But this is my dream club. I’ve never lost hope, not even during periods when we weren’t performing at the level Barcelona should be.” The biggest trophy in club football is still missing from De Jong’s trophy cabinet: the Champions League. “That’s a huge goal for me, the club and the squad,” he admits. “I really must win it before I retire from football. If I don’t manage it, it would be a massive disappointment.” “Winning the Champions League isn’t a foregone conclusion. There are always about six teams whose aim is to win the Champions League and who are genuine contenders, so you just have to be the one who actually wins it. Ideally, I’d like to win it this year, but if not, then in the years to come.” And where will De Jong’s tally end, in terms of matches for Barcelona? “I hope to play many more. It depends on how long I stay fit and in good form, but as far as I’m concerned, it’ll be 500 or more.”   submitted by   /u/Roller95 [link]   [comments]