Frenkie de Jong Defends Himself Against False Claims
Frenkie de Jong has gone on the offensive.
In a candid interview with Barcelona’s club media, the Dutch midfielder directly called out journalist Gerard Romero, accusing him of spreading “false” stories and vowing not to stay silent anymore.
De Jong, who has previously expressed frustration with sections of the press, focused specifically on a claim that he had refused to play for Barça in a Champions League match against Atletico.
“For example, Gerard Romero. He said, and he started all of this, that I refused to play against Atletico in the Champions League last year. That’s false. It’s false. It’s simply not true,” De Jong said.
The midfielder underlined that playing for Barcelona on the biggest stage is central to his ambitions.
“As I said, my dream is to play for Barca, especially in important Champions League matches. Of course I want to play. I don’t understand how you can say that I refused to play. And obviously, if people get angry and if that’s the only information they have, I understand. That’s why I’m explaining.”
The criticism didn’t stop there. De Jong also rejected reports that his relationship with the coach is strained.
“Then he said that my relationship with the coach is very bad, which is completely false. I have a very good relationship with the coach. I talk to him a lot. You can ask him about all of this. It’s completely false.”
He went on to defend his ties with the club hierarchy, pushing back against suggestions of internal conflict or disciplinary measures.
“They’ve also said that my relationship with the club is bad, which is also not true, because I talk a lot with people at the club, with the directors and so on. Then they said I’m being punished. That was Gerard Romero again, and I want to mention it because I think he’s already told more lies in the past.
“But I’m not going to let it slide anymore, because he needs to understand that if he puts things out that aren’t true, I’m going to call him out on it.”
The outburst comes as De Jong continues his recovery from a knee injury. He admitted he wanted to “get that anger off his chest” so he can fully concentrate on his rehabilitation, insisting he is doing everything he can to return to action as quickly as possible.
The message was clear: he wants the noise turned down, the rumours checked, and his focus fixed back where he believes it belongs — on getting fit and pulling on the Barcelona shirt in the games that matter most.
