‘Look, it’s also a bit of ignorance on the part of a lot of people’


Tuesday, July 5, 2022 at 2:45 pm• Rian Rosendaal

Despite the necessary criticism, Luuk de Jong looks back with a good feeling on his year as a player for Barcelona. The PSV acquisition felt the appreciation of the supporters and trainer Ronald Koeman, who was fired last October due to a series of disappointing results. That he was often described as a striker who is not suitable for Barcelona does not go into De Jong.

“What was it like to be a kind of cult hero in Barcelona?” asks Milan van Dongen on behalf of ESPN to De Jong, who has to laugh at that term. “It sometimes gave goosebumps moments, I must say”, the PSV attacker answers. “Of course the first half of the season was difficult, but the whole situation was difficult within the club. That was not easy, not even for myself. I chose to stay and just keep fighting, to make it a good year at Barcelona And I think that worked out very well. If you warmed up during the second half of the season, the fans would start shouting your name. Those were goosebumps moments,” said the grateful De Jong.

Van Dongen then indicates that he personally experienced the adoration of the supporters in the home match in the Europa League against Eintracht Frankfurt. “I think I forced that myself,” De Jong continues. “How I committed myself every day and never complained, and always kept working hard.” Van Dongen emphasizes that many people doubted the qualities of the attacker, who immediately comes with a clear answer. “Look, it is also a bit of ignorance on the part of a lot of people. Koeman just had a very good plan and I showed that a few times with the Dutch national team under him. And that was actually his plan of course.”

“Due to a lot of injuries, only me and Memphis Depay were the two attackers left and then I was forced to play. I am not a Barca player they are used to, it was of course also intended as a plan B. And luckily I have that in the second half of the season,” said De Jong, who was a match winner for Barcelona in LaLiga three times.