"You deserved it, with Araújo, more than anyone. You've been at the club for many years and you show the image that a captain should give," footballers like Pedri told Frenkie de Jong the day the Dutchman was elected fourth captain by secret ballot. It was at a dinner in Los Angeles during the American tour when delegate Carles Naval placed an urn and the players from the squad cast their votes in. Being elected captain was a key and exciting gesture for a footballer who, a year earlier, went through a complicated situation.
Barcelona tried to find a way out to improve their financial accounts. The Dutch midfielder was one of the few players in the first team who had a high market value and the club's economy was above expectations. It was not difficult for the board of directors to find suitors. At Old Trafford, Ten Hag, Manchester United coach who saw him grow up in Amsterdam, was looking forward to him. De Jong appreciated the interest. But in his house they were always from Cruyff, from Koeman and from Barcelona. In addition, the footballer, who in three years lived with four different coaches – Valverde six months, Setién eight months, Koeman 14 months and Xavi since November 2021-, felt that he still had a long way to go. Until then, he had only won one Copa del Rey. “He did not want to leave and he endured the lurch. Of course his family and his friends helped him. Without them it would have cost him more, ”acknowledges his closest environment.
365 days later, his record as a Barcelona player already includes a League and a Spanish Super Cup. And, although the bets revolved around Robert Lewandowski as a possible fourth captain, the dressing room rewarded his stamina and also the years that Frenkie has been at Barcelona. There has been a generational change that has promoted the creation of new leaderships. And Frenkie has taken his new role very seriously. “When he arrived he was very shy. He now he has stepped forward. He has taken advantage of the relief in a very natural way to grow ”, they assure in the dressing room.
Not everything has changed in the life of the Dutch midfielder. From day one he has been very clear about his routine as an elite athlete. He always arrives on time for training. He almost never has a sweet breakfast and strictly follows the nutrition guidelines set for him by the club. He always sleeps the necessary hours, he does not flirt with nightlife and hardly gets injured. He gets along well with the entire squad, but he has his favorite group. He usually shares a table both at concentrations and in the sports city with Ter Stegen, Lewandowski and Christensen, with whom he communicates in English. Also with Sergi Roberto. In the United States it was common to see him, especially with Christensen, watching soccer games in the team's common room.
Outside the sports city, the Dutchman and his partner, Mikky Kiemeney, also share a lot of time with the four footballers and their partners. This summer the entire group attended the party that Lewandowski and his wife, Anna Lewandowska, organized in Tuscany to celebrate their ten years of marriage. The last to join this group has been the recently signed Ilkay Gündogan. To close a great year, Frenkie also expects changes in his personal life. He and Mikky Kiemeney are going to be parents for the first time. They have not wanted to know the sex. They will find out when the baby is born in November.
And his future at Barcelona? In October 2020, a week before Bartomeu resigned from the club's presidency, and in full collective bargaining with the squad to lower salaries, De Jong, Piqué, Lenglet, Umtiti and Ter Stegen extended their ties. In the case of De Jong, it was until 2026. Bartomeu presented the operation as a salary deferral to overcome the crisis that was stalking the entity. When Laporta landed and, in the midst of the attempt to transfer De Jong, Barcelona considered that there were indications of a crime in the drafted. It came to nothing as LaLiga reviewed the contracts and registered the players in the competition.
De Jong has a contract until 2026. Also one of the highest salaries in the squad. Neither the footballer nor his agents were satisfied with the attempt to sell him. Neither with the management of Mateu Alemany, since they consider that the already ex-director of football of the club was one of the people who insisted the most on selling him. Now, with Deco at the helm, De Jong and the club will have to start dealing with their future starting from scratch without ruling out a possible salary adjustment following the example of Ter Stegen, who has renewed until 2028 with the same formula that was executed in the 2020.
