The ‘via crucis’ that doesn’t stop for Frenkie de Jong: he hasn’t missed so many games

Frenkie de Jong it remains nothing European Cup. The blow for the Dutch midfielder FC Barcelona It was the final touch in a season full of setbacks with his right ankle. The worst of his career at 26 years old. Three sprains and inadequate recovery before the final stage left Ronald Koeman without the column of ‘oranje’, resigned today to fully recover to start the preseason in full capacity at Barça of Hansi Flick.

A piece of information well reflects the ‘via crucis’ of Frankie in the current campaign. He only played 15 games in a row with him. Barçaall between January 4 and March 3, until he collapsed again San Mames of his injury to his right ankle. And throughout the campaign he only played 30 games, all as a starter, out of a possible 53 as a Barça player. He missed 23, of which 20 were due to injury, one due to fever in December at Antwerp and another due to the accumulation of yellow cards the following week against Almeria before Christmas and another because it was booked in April of Xavi in Cádiz in the middle of the Champions League tie match PSG.

Added Dutch teams, De Jong He missed 27 games due to injury, double the number of his most complicated season. In 2017-18 there were 13 including Ajaxwhen a fissure in the fibula with damage to the syndesmosis ligament left him KO from the end of February until the end of the course.

With the Barça and the Netherlands He has yet to appear more than nine games (2022-23) after completing the first campaign, always available for Ernesto Valverde and Quique Setien and will miss seven and five games in 2020-21 and 2021-22, respectively, due to minor muscle injuries.

It has nothing to do with the trial that started on September 23, 2023 when Jonathan Bamba (Celta) fell for him. Montjuic (3-2). He sprained his entire right ankle. He couldn’t continue after a good start to the season. The diagnosis dictated about two months of sick leave and was fulfilled upon his return Vallecas (1-1) on November 25 after losing the first Classic lost in the league (1-2) at home. The injury seemed to be forgotten, although his best performance was not, but on March 3 he again made a bad gesture. Frankie at San Mamés in the league 0-0. The right ankle gave out after jumping for a ball and he went back to his old ways.

Time was more pressing and the sensations of De Jong They allowed him to reappear on April 10, five weeks later, in the quarterfinal first leg of the Champions he is new PSG. Ronald Koeman yesterday accused Barça of forcing him to return but it was the midfielder who seemed fit to wear shorts at such an important event. He played 75 minutes at a good level at 2-3, rested in Cádiz three days later and played 82 in the return against the Parisians (1-4) with 53 minutes of them missed due to a red card. Ronald Araujo. Five days later, on April 21, the Classic within Bernabeu and again he started but before half-time he was lying on the grass. He stepped out to block a powerful shot from Fede Valverde but the right ankle could not withstand the impact of the ball. He was taken down on a stretcher to the applause of a Bernabeu where he impressed in 2019 with Ajax.

The Eurocup is almost two months away. It should come and the same Frankie He assured on Sunday that he looks fit to make his debut this Sunday (3 pm) in the tournament against Poland of Robert Lewandowski. A few days before he said that he was “ready to take some risks for the Euro Cup” but warned: “The most important thing for me is that the injury does not become acute. This is not yet the case and that is why I have not operated my ankle.” “.

It is necessary to see if he will not change his mind when he finds himself outside of what will be his second European Cup. In 2021 they fell in the second round against Republic Czech (0-3) and in 2022, in his first worldsanctions against Argentina (2-2) they left him in the semifinals.