Frenkie de Jong clarifies the reason that would motivate him to leave Barça: "I would leave if..."

Frenkie de Jong, one of the most questioned names at FC Barcelona so far in the 2024-25 season, seems to be having less and less prominence in Hansi Flick's sporting project. Taking advantage of the beginning of 2025, he granted an interview to the Dutch media 'Voetbal', where he made some statements that undoubtedly promise to generate discussion in the coming days.

The Dutch midfielder, 27 years old, discreetly addressed the issue of his renewal, emphasizing first the only aspect that could motivate him to leave Barcelona, reducing it all to a purely sporting reason. He stated: "People think I want to stay at Barcelona forever because life outside of football is very good here, and it is good, but what happens on the field remains more important. If I felt I couldn't contribute enough, or if the team couldn't compete, I would leave."

Regarding the progress of his renewal with Barcelona and whether there have been any discussions with the club about it, De Jong preferred not to 'get involved', making it clear that he is fully focused on what he can do on the field, putting his contractual situation on the back burner, though not forgotten. He expressed: "My contract renewal is a topic for the newspapers here, but not for me. I want to play football and then see what the club wants to do with me and then decide what I want to do, together with my agent and my family."

Frenkie de Jong's Criticism of Barcelona

Furthermore, Frenkie de Jong did not hesitate to be honest and express his disappointment at not achieving a more extensive record in terms of collective titles since his arrival at FC Barcelona in the summer of 2019. He commented: "I have to admit that when I signed for Barcelona, I didn't imagine I would only win 1 League, 1 Copa del Rey, and 1 Spanish Super Cup after 4 years. I expected at least double that, so I am disappointed. Things happen unexpectedly and cannot be predicted."

Recovery from the injury in his right ankle

Similarly, the native of Arkel talked about the state of his injury in the right ankle, mentioning that he is feeling better and paying special attention to caring for that part of his body. He emphasized: "At first, I was busy day and night with that ankle. As soon as I woke up, I felt it immediately. Has it swollen? Has it responded? Now I have almost lost that feeling. However, the ankle has become something I have to consider. By this, I mean that I will have to continue to pay extra attention to it, in the form of care. A player has it in the knee, and I have it in the ankle."

Additionally, regarding the mental impact of the injury, De Jong revealed how difficult it was for him until his return in October, comparing it to previous injuries. He said: "For someone who loves football as much as I do, it seemed like an eternity. It was really the toughest period of my career. I was also out of Ajax for a while, I think it was in 2018. I was sidelined during training when it happened. I tried to block a ball and fell badly, tearing the ligament in the ankle of the other foot. But it was nothing compared to this injury," he concluded.