Barcelona captain confirms he hopes to stay at club ‘for many more years’ | OneFootball

Barcelona acquired Frenkie de Jong in 2019 after overcoming considerable competition for his signature.

The Dutchman has contributed significantly during his extensive tenure at the club, having also been named one of the four captains of the team last summer.

Reflecting on his time at the club, Frenkie recalled several memorable incidents since his arrival in Barcelona.

On having notched 234 appearances for Barcelona

When asked about his impressive 234 appearances for Barcelona, Frenkie de Jong humbly acknowledged it as a great honour.

Despite his future being called into question a great deal over the past few months, Frenkie claimed he is eager to become the Dutchman with the most games in Barça’s history.

“It’s all happened so quickly because you don’t stop to think about how many games you’ve played, but of course, it’s a source of pride,” he said in an interview on Barça One.

“There’s still a long way to go, but I’d like to be the Dutchman with the most games in Barça’s history,” he asserted

A painful throwback to his worst moment at the club

Barcelona experienced one of the most significant setbacks in their history a few years ago against Bayern Munich, resulting in a dramatic 8-2 defeat.

Speaking about the painful night in Lisbon, Frenkie admitted that the defeat took a major toll on him at the time.

“I think it was the worst night of my career at Barcelona. Maybe even in the history of Barça. I haven’t been to every game and I haven’t experienced it in the same way, but as a player I experienced it differently,” he said.

Not thinking of leaving Barcelona anytime soon. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

“It was also the worst game of my career so far. The first few nights it was hard to sleep,” he regretfully remarked.

On the iconic 4-0 win against Real Madrid

Reflecting on a brighter moment in his career, Frenkie emphasized that defeating Real Madrid on their home turf was especially satisfying, especially given that Barcelona were trailing them in the league standings at the time.

“The win at the Bernabéu was very nice. Beating Madrid is always good. Winning the Clasico was a very nice feeling.

“It was strange because we were behind them in the table. When we beat them in the Spanish Super Cup final it was also very nice. We deserved to win,” he professed.

On winning La Liga last year

The Catalan giants won La Liga for the first time in four years last season. The timing of their win was especially special, owing to the fact that it came against their domestic rivals, Espanyol.

“It was a great achievement because the league is very strong. We did it by a big margin. And winning it against Espanyol was very nice. The feeling of winning it, of course, against Espanyol is also very special,” Frenkie acknowledged.

On being Barcelona’s captain

Frenkie de Jong’s rise in prominence over the years is testified by the fact that he is one of Barcelona’s captains. Opening up about being given the armband, he said:

“It’s an honour. When they appointed me, my approach didn’t change much, although being the captain on the pitch gives you more responsibilities. So I tried to change it and help people, although my approach remained the same.”

“I hope to play for many more years at Barça,” he concluded.