Frenkie de Jong vows to challenge claims he says have damaged his Barcelona reputation

Frenkie de Jong has strongly denied a series of reports about his injury, his relationship with Hansi Flick and his commitment to Barcelona, saying inaccurate stories have affected how some people view him.

The Netherlands midfielder made the comments in an interview with Barcelona’s official media as he provided an update on his recovery and addressed reports published about him in recent weeks.

“I am fine, but I feel there is a lot of noise around me, and many false stories and similar things, and that bothers me,” said de Jong. He added that the purpose of the interview was to “clarify some things”.

De Jong, who has been at Barcelona for seven years, said his desire to remain at the club had not changed.

“I have been at the club for seven years, and playing for Barcelona was always my dream,” he said. “I still have dreams to achieve here, and we still have big goals.”

The midfielder also explained the circumstances behind his latest injury and why he continued to play despite discomfort.

“I am extremely frustrated by all of this,” he said. “It bothers me a lot and frustrates me greatly, because what I love most is playing football, especially with Barcelona and the national team. So when I am injured, it really bothers me.”

De Jong said the injury occurred after a player fell on him during training, causing a problem with his knee.

“Someone fell on me and I had a small problem with my knee,” he said. “We had tests and they showed there was a small issue, and everyone knew about it. They told me I could continue playing, that I would feel some discomfort and a little pain, but that I could carry on and the injury would not get worse.”

He said he carried on because of his desire to play and his ambition to represent the Netherlands at the World Cup.

“I continued playing because I love football,” De Jong said. “The World Cup is a dream, and I will always do everything I can to take part. I did that many times with Barcelona, and that is what I did.”

After the World Cup, he remained in contact with Barcelona and underwent further examinations.

“We had another scan and it showed that the injury had become more serious than it was when I had the tests in the United States,” he said. “That was very difficult because I did not expect it, and nobody expected it.”

De Jong is now following a rehabilitation programme with the club’s physiotherapists under an agreed plan.

“We have made a plan that everyone knows about and everyone agrees with,” he said, before again rejecting reports about his condition. “I see many things being said that are not true.”

He said the stories had affected him emotionally, but distinguished between criticism and factual claims he believes are false.

“Yes, it affects me. I get angry and upset,” he said. “People have the right to give their opinions. If they say, ‘Frenkie is a bad player’, or ‘Frenkie is not good enough to play for Barcelona’, I may agree or disagree with them. I think they are wrong, but that is a different matter.”

De Jong specifically criticised Gerard Romero over a report that he had refused to play against Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League last season.

“He said that I refused to play against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last year,” said de Jong. “That is completely untrue. It is a lie, and it is absolutely not true.”

He added: “My dream is to play for Barcelona, especially in big Champions League matches. Of course I want to play. Everyone wants to play in those games, and I do not understand how anyone can say that I refused to play.”

De Jong also denied reports of a poor relationship with Flick and with Barcelona’s officials.

“He said my relationship with the manager was very bad, and that is completely untrue,” he said. “My relationship with the manager is very good and I speak to him a lot. You can ask the manager about all of this.”

On his relationship with the club, he added: “They said my relationship with the club was bad, and that is not true either. I speak a lot with people at the club, the executives and others, and I can say that my relationship with the club is very good.”

De Jong also rejected a claim that he had been disciplined by Barcelona, saying Romero had made that allegation as well.

“I want to mention it because I think he has told more lies in the past, but I will not allow that to continue any more,” he said. “He has to understand that if he publishes things that are not true, I will come out and expose them myself.”