Frenkie De Jong breaks Dutch Barcelona record while eyeing World Cup with Oranje
Frenkie de Jong became the Dutch player with the most matches played for FC Barcelona on Wednesday. De Jong came on the side’s 1-0 win over Celta de Vigo for his 293rd appearance for the Spanish side, overtaking Philippe Cocu, who played for the club from 1998 to 2004.
Cocu was present at the Camp Nou stadium after the game to present De Jong with a framed shirt with his name and the number 293 on the back. This was then followed by a photo of De Jong with the shirt and the rest of the Barcelona squad behind him.
Barcelona has a proud history of Dutch players. Johan Cruijff is considered one of the forefathers of the Barcelona style of play. Cruijff played for the club from 1973 to 1978, winning one league title before returning to manage the side in 1988. His managerial spell was more successful trophy-wise, winning four league titles and a European Cup.
Oranje’s current national team manager, Ronald Koeman, is third in the top five list with 264 games played. Patrick Kluivert (257) and Michael Reiziger (255) round off the top five.
De Jong came on in the 73rd minute on Thursday, replacing Spanish midfielder Dani Olmo. Barcelona picked up another victory on their way to a third league title for the midfielder from Gorinchem. The Catalan side is nine points ahead of the nearest challengers, Real Madrid, with six games remaining.
De Jong joined Barcelona from Ajax in 2019 for 75 million euros. He joined the club in a difficult time, having to wait four years for his first Spanish league title.
While speaking to Ziggo Sport after the game, De Jong also discussed Oranje’s hopes for the World Cup this summer. The 28-year-old admitted that Oranje are not among the favorites, but says that he sees his side as dangerous outsiders.
“I don’t think we have the best squad of all countries, but I do think we’re among the group of nations that are contenders,” said De Jong. “If things go well and we’re at our best, we can surprise people.”
Asked about winning the World Cup, he doesn’t rule it out. “It’s possible,” he says, though he stresses realism: the Netherlands are not the main favourites, but the ambition should still be to win.
The midfielder says the feeling that something is possible is growing within the Dutch team. “In the end, it comes down to form, and in major tournaments you also need a bit of luck.”
