Frenkie de Jong won over Barça again after years of clashes with the board
The Dutch midfielder was decisive in Barcelona's comeback at the Metropolitano, despite years of friction with the club's board and medical staff.
Some players win matches. Frenkie de Jong keeps winning arguments, too, and he does it on the pitch.
The Dutch midfielder was decisive in Barcelona's comeback at the Metropolitano, Atlético Madrid's stadium. It is the latest chapter in a long story: for years he has been at odds with the club's offices and its doctors.
It began well. Barça signed him from Ajax in 2019 for about 75 million euros plus add-ons. By 2022, with the club in financial trouble, the board wanted to sell him. De Jong refused to take a pay cut or leave, and a long dispute over owed wages followed.
The board did not want him, yet he has kept his place. So far, whenever the argument has reached the pitch, his talent has won it. Here, he has played more football than politics.
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Frenkie de Jong's standing at Barcelona · 3 updates
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