Frenkie de Jong reminded us of Johan Cruijff in the final of the Copa del Rey against Athletic Club (0-4) that he won on Saturday, at least that is the opinion of Willem Vissers. The journalist from De Volkskrant makes in his column for De Volkskrant the daring comparison between the current Barcelona midfielder and the legendary former footballer. “I really tried not to think that Johan Cruijff was there. But that didn’t work out”, says Vissers.
De Jong delivered two wonderful assists against Athletic and scored a head goal himself, a performance that already gave the former Ajax player a ten in the Spanish media. Vissers could not stop the thought of Cruijff when they saw De Jong. “It went without saying. Frenkie de Jong conquers the ball in a busy midfield on the right flank and sets off for a dribble, for an adventure that takes him to the corner of the field. Ten touches. Just how he takes the ball is like this. graceful. Body turned in between. Requires hardly any strength. “
Vissers enjoyed the goal that De Jong made in the cup final. “Then inside, outside, right, left; the whole range of basic technique comes by, at full speed, packed in ease. He bypasses opponents with the outside, outside, like Cruijff did a million times, Mikel Balenziaga plays with a playful touch. with the outside right through the legs and so ended up somewhere deep on the flank. What now? Let’s see. Ball to Pedri and then it goes fast again. Lenglet, Alba on the left. And then De Jong is already in the center again to cross after the bounce cleverly head in. “
De Jong played regularly as a center-back this season, but his role against Ahtletic suits him best, according to Vissers. “Started as a right-half and allowed to be anywhere, then he is at his best. He gets a 10 in Spain and that is right. Getting to the goal more often and scoring, that is what trainer Koeman asks of him. He listens. Of course, that is how dominant is. he is not always, but Frenkie de Jong is a footballer who chases cynicism into another world. He is the smile of football, in a world with many clubs waiting for the opponent to make a mistake and profit. For that style there are enough fans, but I love football for the game, for the beauty and the enchantment, the relaxation and the courage to attack. “