Xavi Hails Barcelona Superstar After Athletic Clash: “One Of The Best Midfielders In The World”
Barcelona restored their nine-point lead atop the Premier League standings after they defeated Athletic Club 1-0 away at San Mames on Sunday night.
A late first-half goal from Raphinha was enough for the Catalans to come away with three points. There was some element of controversy in the game though as Inaki Williams saw a goal ruled out by VAR for handball – a decision that did not go down well with the hosts.
Barcelona had a number of players who stood up at San Mames – Marc-Andre ter Stegen produced some important stops, Alejandro Balde shone on the left, Raphinha scored another clutch goal and Sergio Busquets was impressive with his defensive duties.
But it was Frenkie de Jong who looked like the best player on the field for Barcelona on the night. The Dutchman was sharp in the build-up play and created a few chances for the Blaugrana, showing why he has become such an integral part of the team.
Speaking to the press after the match, manager Xavi Hernandez was full of praise for the Netherlands international, hailing him as one of the best midfielders in the game.
“De Jong is playing at a spectacular level. He’s one of the best midfielders in the world right now,” Xavi said
From transferable to untouchable
It was not very long ago that De Jong found himself staring at the exit doors at FC Barcelona. The Catalans were in desperate need of cash injection and seemingly decided that the Dutchman was the most sellable asset at the club last summer.
Indeed, a deal with Manchester United was in place which could have seen them pocket around €85 million. Xavi used De Jong as a centre-back during pre-season and benched him in the early parts of the season, possibly as a tactic to get him to consider an exit.
But, De Jong stood firm on his desire to stay and succeed at Camp Nou. And, having snubbed Manchester United, the Netherlands international gradually grew in stature in Xavi’s scheme and is now seen as an undroppable member of the team.
While he continues to attract interest from Manchester United and several other Premier League clubs, Barcelona are uninterested in entertaining any sort of offers for De Jong, despite their need to generate urgent revenue and lower their wage bill.
De Jong keen to stay at Barcelona for a long time
As for De Jong, nothing has changed on his side with regard to his desire to stay at Barcelona and win trophies. In a recent interview, the midfielder outlined how he seeks to succeed with the Blaugrana and remain at the club for a very long time.
“Last summer I was always calm as I knew I would stay at Barça and I never changed my mind. I always dreamed of playing for Barça and I want to succeed here. I want to continue here,” he had said.
“I’ve never won La Liga, it’s my fourth year here and it’s the closest I’ve ever come, but there’s a long way to go,” the midfielder had added before Sunday’s game.
With the win against Athletic Club, Barcelona are now one step closer to that objective and the Clasico against Real Madrid this weekend could very well be a title decider.
