Frenkie De Jong Happy To Have Xavi As Manager: “One Of The Best Midfielder In History”
Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has lavished praise on his manager Xavi Hernandez, expressing his pleasure at having ‘one of the best midfielders in history’ as a guiding hand at the club.
The former midfielder took over the reins of the club in November 2021 and has done a sterling job to guide them to the top of the league standings this season, while also winning the Spanish Super Cup.
And, De Jong, who has now grown into an extremely important player under Xavi, opened up on the experience of playing under the 43-year-old and said:
“Xavi is one of the best midfielders in history. It’s good to have him as a manager, and he helps us a lot. He shows us footage of recent matches and tell us where we can make better decisions.”
The 25-year-old, who also outlined how it has been his dream to succeed at Barcelona, also spoke about his own form and whether he was enjoying his best season in the Blaugrana colours.
“I don’t know. People like to say: best season, worst season… I’m doing my job. We failed in Europe, but we’re doing well in La Liga. If this is my best season, the people have to determine it, not me,” he said.
“I think that the team is playing better football compared to last year, so that helps me. I’m also playing at the base of midfield recently, and I feel more comfortable,” the Dutchman added.
De Jong also spoke about his captain and midfield partner Sergio Busquets, whose future at Barcelona is uncertain as he nears the expiry of his contract.
“Everyone sees Busquets’ talent. He’s very important and it shows,” the ex-Ajax ace stated.
During the chat, De Jong also touched upon the special young talent that Barcelona have in their midst in the form of Ansu Fati, Gavi, Pedri, Alejandro Balde and Ronald Araujo, saying:
“Barcelona always produce young players with great talent. Right now we have a lot of young players that are already at a high level, and still have a lot of room for improvement.”
De Jong also professed his love for Camp Nou, as he said: “For me, Camp Nou is the most beautiful stadium in the world because of its history. I also like the stadium to be open from the top. It is very big and has a nice atmosphere. I visited it as a kid and it was very special.”
Signing off, De Jong listed the trophies he dreams of winning in his career, as he said: “There are many. Champions League, La Liga, World Cup and Euro, many more.”
