Frenkie de Jong celebrated signing a new Barcelona contract until 2029, stressing his happiness to stay with the Catalan club he joined in 2019 from Ajax for €75 million.
The renewal reinforces his loyalty and belief in Barcelona's project, despite the club's financial difficulties in recent years.
Contract extension and the Barca project
In an interview with El País, De Jong said: "I have always been clear that I wanted to stay at Barcelona. I am happy here, with the team and with playing for this club. There was pressure at times, and others wanted to sell me for money, and I understood that partly because I had a good market, but my desire to stay was stronger. I was confident that if I was in good shape I would play, and I never feared. When you have a contract and decide to stay, you stay. And that's what I did."
He noted the club's financial challenges but said his decision to remain came from belief in his ability to help the team succeed.
He also addressed the situation with goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen: "Sometimes things become complicated. If I am in good shape and the coach doesn't give me a chance to play, I would leave, because I want to play football."
On media criticism, he emphasized transparency and avoiding media manipulation: "I don't want to make friends in the press to say good things about me or always defend me. If I play poorly, say so; if I play well, say so as well."
He spoke with pride about the respect from teammates, including Lionel Messi, recalling: "Many teammates and coaches have said I am misrepresented by the media. Messi told me once at breakfast that I was great, but I don't like discussing private conversations."
Playing style, leadership and Flick’s impact
Asked about his style, he argued that numbers aren't everything: "It's hard to judge my performance because I don't always score or assist a lot. I keep the ball a lot and sometimes more than others. I don't always play with one or two touches; it depends on the situation."
Regarding dressing-room leadership, he added that true leaders uphold their values and help teammates sincerely. "You don't need to shout to lead; if you shout too much, people stop listening. Real leadership is knowing when to speak."
He praised coach Hansi Flick for bringing balance: "Flick has a strong personality—clear and close to players, yet firm. If you don't do what's required, you won't play. The system is well defined, but we have freedom inside it to express ourselves, which makes Barça entertaining: everyone has room to show themselves on the pitch."
Deco, Barcelona's sporting director, echoed support for De Jong's place in the squad, framing him as a cornerstone of the project and a symbol of the club's values of commitment, professionalism and leadership in the locker room.
A mutual trust and the road ahead
The renewal through 2029 sends a clear message of mutual trust: the club remains steadfast with its key player, and De Jong reaffirms his loyalty to the project that trusted him since his move from Ajax in 2019.
After lingering doubts in 2022 when Barcelona explored selling him to ease finances, his decision to stay turned him into a symbol of stability within the side.
As he approaches turning 29 on May 12, he enters one of his most mature seasons, combining European experience with a continued drive to improve.
Punchline 1: If loyalty were currency, De Jong’s contract would be the banking meltdown everyone’s laughing about—stable, boringly valuable, and somehow never crashing the economy.
Punchline 2: Barcelona found a player who can turn a spreadsheet into a highlight reel—now that’s what I call advanced football accounting.
