Frenkie de Jong will start his first final tournament with the Dutch national team on Sunday, when the the Dutch squad opens the European Championship with the first group match against Ukraine in the Johan Cruijff ArenA. The 24-year-old midfielder from Barcelona was taught the the Dutch feeling during the final tournaments from father John. “My father really likes it when the Dutch national team plays. That used to be the case,” says De Jong in conversation with the General Newspaper.
De Jong senior works as a parking attendant in Delft, quite a contrast to his son’s life in the spotlight. “But my father absolutely loves his profession. He spends a lot of time outside, cycles a lot, knows everyone. I think he is talking to people more than he is handing out fines,” says De Jong. Thanks in part to his father’s passion, he grew up with the enthusiasm surrounding the final tournaments in which the Dutch were active. The last final tournament in which the the Dutch squad was active – the 2014 World Cup in Brazil – De Jong watched at home with family and friends, then still playing for Willem II.
“From a certain age I have often thought: I want that too. I always felt it was realistic to experience a big tournament myself. I was about twelve years old then, you can’t know that yet, but I have always felt that way: I can also stand there someday,” says the midfielder. Despite the fact that he does not feel that ‘he is just coming to watch’, he does call the first final tournament with the the Dutch special. “You talk about it with the guys who played at the 2014 World Cup. Also about the value of tournament experience.”
“You notice that now that the national competitions are over, people are starting to feel more alive. You can tell by those commercials on television. As long as I’m not in such a commercial, I think it’s nice,” continues De Jong. He labels France as the big favorite for the European Championship. “I think behind that are eight teams that also have a chance. I think that includes us. Does everyone say that? No, we didn’t consciously agree with each other that way. I think everyone really feels that way.”
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