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Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has opened up about his future at the club and revealed that he is not too worried about contract negotiations.
Instead, he remains focused on his football and takes it step by step. The Dutch international stressed that decisions about his renewal will be made together with his agent and his family, with no rush to decide yet.
Recent reports suggest that Barcelona have restarted talks with De Jong over a new contract. This is somewhat surprising given that the player’s current contract runs until 2026.
Barcelona’s attempts to secure his long-term services have been no secret, but it now appears the club are keen to put things right soon.
Despite speculation surrounding his contract, de Jong has made it clear that he is more concerned about his performance on the field and the success of the team than the business side of football.
“The renewal of my contract is a topic for the newspapers here, but for me it is not.” he told Voetbal International.
“I want to play football and then I will see what the club wants to do with me and then I will decide what I want to do, together with my agent and my family.” he added.
Disappointed by his mandate
Reflecting on his time at Barcelona, de Jong admitted that he expected more in terms of trophies when he first signed for the club.
After four years, he won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup, but he hoped to at least double that number of titles.
This feeling of unfulfilled expectations has caused him disappointment, but he recognizes that football can be unpredictable and sometimes things don’t go as planned.
“I have to admit that when I signed for Barcelona I did not imagine winning only one League, one Copa del Rey and one Spanish Super Cup after 4 years. I was expecting at least double that, so that disappoints me. Things happen along the way that you can’t predict.”
De Jong also addressed speculation about his future, noting that while he enjoys life in Barcelona and appreciates the quality of life outside of football, his priority will always be his contribution to the team on the field.
“People think that I want to stay in Barcelona forever because life outside of football is very good here, and it is good, but what happens on the pitch is even less important.
“If I felt like I couldn’t contribute enough, or if the team couldn’t compete, I would leave.” he added.
Talking about injuries
The midfielder also spoke about the challenges he has faced with the injury in 2024, particularly to the ankle.
At the beginning of his recovery, he was obsessed with monitoring any changes or reactions in his ankle, but over time it has become easier to manage.
“In the initial phase of my ankle injury, I was busy with my ankle day and night. As soon as I woke up, I felt it immediately.
“Has it gotten bigger? Is there any reaction? Now I’ve almost forgotten it.” he pointed out.
However, he continues to pay special attention to his ankle, as some players suffer from knee problems, while his ankle requires continuous care.
“However, the ankle has always become something I have to take into account. By this I mean that I will have to continue paying special attention to it. Some players have it on their knee, I have it on my ankle.
“This year [2024] It was the most difficult period of my life. “For someone who loves football as much as I do, all these months seemed like an eternity.”
Playing with Lionel Messi
Lastly, de Jong shared his admiration for Lionel Messi and described the legendary player as head and shoulders above everyone else. He remembered that, no matter what the team did in training, Messi was always the best.
“I have never seen such a big difference between one player and the rest. Whatever we do in training, Messi was the best, always.”
His ability to find solutions on the field that not even coaches could anticipate was something De Jong found notable and a testament to Messi’s unique talent.
“He sees solutions on the field that you, as a coach, don’t think of beforehand.” he added.
