Frenkie de Jong would have liked to see Messi return to Barça: ‘Would help us’

Frenkie de Jong switched from Ajax to FC Barcelona in 2019, hoping to celebrate many successes. That was somewhat disappointing in his first years, but last season the 26-year-old midfielder became champion of Spain for the first time. And as far as he is concerned, it obviously won’t stop there.

“Am happy with it, but I hope there are more titles to come,” De Jong said. “And I hope to win the Champions League there one day. Successful is definitely not yet.”

For a while there was talk that Barça club icon Lionel Messi would return to the Catalans after two seasons at Paris Saint-Germain. However, the world champion chose Inter Miami.

“I would have loved it if he had come back,” says De Jong. “He could have helped us. It wasn’t meant to be. We have to move on.”

Through goes De Jong this week with the Dutch national team in the Nations League. A new trophy beckons. “We can take a prize with Orange,” he says.

De Jong missed the previous international period – the start of national coach Ronald Koeman’s second term – because of upper leg problems. Without the South Hollander, the Netherlands went down without a chance against France, followed by a meager 3-0 win over Gibraltar.

The midfielder does not want to say that the Netherlands is rudderless without him, but he does feel important: “I feel the confidence of the coaches and my teammates.”