Frenkie de Jong was given a standing ovation by Barcelona fans after his stunning display against Villarreal on Thursday night.
Barcelona boss Xavi decided to start de Jong over Spanish veteran Sergio Busquets for their La Liga clash against Unai Emery’s Villarreal side, and the gamble well and truly paid off as the Dutchman commanded the midfield.
A brace from Robert Lewandowski and a goal from Ansu Fati sealed a 3-0 victory for the Catalan giants but it was de Jong who stole the show with a magnificent midfield performance. You can watch his individual highlights below.
In the 70 minutes that de Jong was on the pitch, the 25-year-old touched the ball 93 times and had a passing rate of 95% after completing 75 out of 79 passes. He also recorded a 100% success rate in both dribbles and crosses.
His defensive qualities didn’t go unnoticed either as de Jong won five tackles, made one interception and also recovered the ball for his side eight times.
In addition, the Netherlands international won all nine of his ground duels and also won his one aerial duel.
De Jong was eventually replaced by Busquets in the 70th minute and he received a wonderful standing ovation from the Camp Nou crowd as the Barcelona fans showed their appreciation.
Fans also reacted to de Jong’s performance on social media.
One fan said: “10/10 performance in a single pivot
standing ovation from Spotify Camp Nou. Take a bow Frenkie de Jong, absolute magic.”
Another tweeted: “Standing ovation for De Jong, well deserved, incredible performance.”
A third fan added: “A well-deserved standing ovation for de Jong.”
The warm reception by the Barcelona fans would have done a world of good for de Jong after a turbulent summer that saw the midfielder constantly linked with a move away despite him declaring his wish to stay put.
At one stage, it was revealed that Barcelona agreed a fee with Premier League outfit Manchester United for the transfer of de Jong, however, the player's stance never changed, he only ever wanted to stay at the Camp Nou.
Manager Xavi praised de Jong after the match against Villarreal. He said: “Frenkie was very good. He really enjoyed the game, he understood it very well and he played a very complete game. I’m happy for him.”
Topics: Barcelona, Frenkie De Jong, Xavi, La Liga
