Frenkie de Jong has been one of Barcelona’s key players over the last 12-18 months. The Dutch midfielder arrived from Ajax in 2019, and despite a somewhat underwhelming start to life in Catalonia, he is now playing as the top of his game.
Despite having only been at the club for five years, de Jong is already one of Barcelona’s longest-serving players. He is one of only a few that were at the club before the current Joan Laporta era, and on Thursday, he could bring up a personal milestone.
De Jong has made 199 appearances for Barcelona, and if he plays any part against Unionistas de Salamanca in their Copa del Rey round of 16 clash, he would reach the double century mark, as per MD. It’s something that had looked unlikely, given that he was very close to leaving in the summer of 2022 for Manchester United.
Barcelona retained de Jong on that occasion, although they may not do so this summer, amid reports that Xavi Hernandez is open to selling the 26-year-old, who would surely not be short of suitors if he is put on the market.
