Frenkie de Jong defended the importance of the work he does on the pitch and expressed the opinion that modern football assessments are too often based solely on goals and assists. The Netherlands international stressed that many people do not watch matches in their entirety and therefore miss important details of players’ performances.
The midfielder made a significant contribution to Barcelona’s victory over Atlético Madrid on Sunday. He came on at the start of the second half, initially took up the position of right-back, and subsequently also played as a holding midfielder.
De Jong’s versatility was also evident in Barcelona’s previous matches. Against Alavés, he played as a centre-back, while in the game against Paris Saint-Germain he operated as a playmaker. In each of these roles, the Dutchman contributed to the team, although he did not attract attention with impressive statistics.
“Nowadays, it is difficult to hold people’s attention for the entire match. Very few of them stay in front of their televisions for all 90 minutes. They do not fully understand what is happening on the pitch or why certain decisions are made,” De Jong told ESPN.
According to the midfielder, this leads to a distorted assessment of players’ performances and their actual contribution to the team.
“The easiest way to judge a footballer, of course, is to see whether he scores goals or provides assists. And naturally, in my case, those figures are considerably lower,” added the Dutchman, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano.
It is precisely De Jong’s ability to perform different roles that makes him an important figure for Barcelona. His versatility is among the qualities that make him so valuable to head coach Hansi Flick.