On November 26, Beijing time, the 1-1 draw with Ecuador in the group stage of the World Cup was difficult to satisfy the Netherlands, and De Jong, who was elected the best player of the match, was also unhappy. In his opinion, winning is more important than getting the best player. The World Cup in Qatar has a different meaning for De Jong, who needs to get rid of his bad feelings at the club and achieve his goal of "flying" the Dutch team.
contrast
In Barça it didn't go well, and it was best in the "tulip" field
68 passes, 63 successes; 14 confrontations, 11 successes; Two interceptions and nine tackles were De Jong's performances against Ecuador in the Netherlands, earning him the highest rating of the game, beating teammate Gakpo (2 goals in 2 games) and Ecuadorian head Valencia (3 goals in 2 games).
This is not De Jong's first key performance, and in the opening group stage win over Senegal 2-0, it was De Jong who opened the game for the "Oranges", and his assist allowed Gakpo to open the scoring account. Van Gaal has always made no secret of his admiration for the heart of the midfield, "Frankie [de Jong] was the best on the pitch when he played there. He can break through, he has a solid style of play and he has great vision. ”
It's just that this year in Barcelona, De Jong is not having a good time. Barca wanted to raise money from selling the Dutch star, but De Jong himself was to stay and turned down an offer from Manchester United. Before the World Cup, the "soap opera" was still not over, De Jong hinted in an interview that someone in the club's top brass had tried to force him to leave, and he responded with a tough attitude, "I hope to still play at Barca in the next 8 to 10 years." ”
No one can say what the future of this turmoil will take, but what makes Ajax fans lament is another thing. In 2019, after De Jong moved from Ajax to Barca, the Dutch giants bought full-page advertisements in local newspapers wishing De Jong to fulfill his childhood dream of playing for Barca, with the caption: "Barça, enjoy the future, just like us." Good luck, Frankie. "They want De Jong to be reused by the team and the support of the fans at Camp Nou.
De Jong's role in the Dutch team is indispensable. Photo/IC photo
attitude
From the club to the national team, the Dutch new nuclear does not forget its original intention
The "baby" De Jong held by Ajax in the palm of his hand debuted in the Tilburg Wilhelm II youth academy. In the summer of 2015, De Jong moved to Ajax, and it was rumored that the "Eurostar Factory" spent only 1 euro for this. In 2016, De Jong was promoted to the Ajax first team, officially starting the road to stardom.
The highlights of the 2018-2019 Champions League season belong to Ajax, and the storm of youth and Dutch transmission are the visual impact they bring to European football. This group of youngsters made it all the way to the last four of the Champions League, which is their famous scene and the starting point for their parting ways. From manager Ten Hag, to De Jong and Donny van de Beek in midfield, and Dorberg and Ziyech in the striker, the youth army starting line-up for the Champions League is now scattered everywhere.
De Jong was among the best midfielders in European football that season, and in the summer of 2019, Barca brought the 22-year-old De Jong to Camp Nou for more than 80 million euros. However, the Dutch rising star faces the first hurdle of "water and soil", he is the core of Ajax, but at Camp Nou, he is not the core of Barca's game. He experienced so much criticism in his first season that even Van Gaal felt he had chosen the wrong place to stay. It wasn't until August 2020, when Dutch hometown Koeman took office, that De Jong slowly regained his confidence, both in terms of data and performance. Foreign media also commented: "He is close to the role of his time at Ajax. ”
The Netherlands have no shortage of world-class stars on all fronts.
When he saw Barca lift the Champions League trophy in Paris at the age of 9, De Jong regarded playing for Barca as a lifelong dream, and it is not difficult to understand his stubbornness to stick to Camp Nou after the "water and soil" and the transfer turmoil. The same is true for the Dutch national team.
De Jong's debut for the Dutch national team was Sneijder's farewell match, which was seen as a handover of Dutch football. It is not only the old manager Louis van Gaal who has shouted for the "Orange" goal, De Jong is a more determined practitioner, "Winning the World Cup is the ultimate dream of all Dutchmen, and we will do our best to achieve it." ”
From the club to the national team, perhaps only those who do not change their original intentions can go further.
Beijing News reporter Zhou Xiao
Edited by Wang Chunqiu
Proofreader Liu Jun