Barcelona's De Jong denies refusing to play, hits out at 'false' media reports over knee injury

De Jong breaks silence

Frenkie de Jong, Barcelona's captain and 29-year-old midfielder, used an interview with the club's in-house media on Friday, August 14 to push back against what he called "false" reports about his physical condition, attitude, and relationship with head coach Hansi Flick. The Dutchman, sidelined with a torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee, said the noise around him had become intolerable and was damaging his image.

"I feel there is a lot of noise around me, many news that are false and things like that, and that bothers me," De Jong said. He added that he wanted to explain how he was feeling "to get this anger off me and focus solely on recovery."

The injury

De Jong suffered the knee injury during a training session at the World Cup in the United States. He described it as an accident: someone fell on his knee. Initial tests showed "a small problem," and medical staff assured him he could continue playing through pain and that the injury would not worsen. He played in the Netherlands' round-of-32 match against Morocco, in which the Dutch were eliminated on penalties.

After returning to Barcelona on July 13, De Jong reported ongoing pain. Further examination revealed a tear to the medial collateral ligament in his right knee, more serious than the initial assessment during the World Cup. Barcelona believed surgery would offer a quicker return to full fitness, but De Jong ruled it out. He is now following a conservative treatment plan with the club's physical therapists.

"I am very screwed up. What I like most is playing football and not being able to do it hurts a lot," De Jong said. "It has been an injury in which I've had very bad luck, because it was an accident. The hardest part was finding out afterwards that the injury was more serious than we expected. Nobody expected it."

Denials and direct accusations

De Jong directly addressed several specific claims he said were false. He denied refusing to play in last season's Champions League quarter-final second leg against Atletico Madrid, a rumor he attributed to journalist Gerard Romero.

"He said that I refused to play against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last year. That is false," De Jong said. He also denied having a poor relationship with Flick or the club: "He said that my relationship with the coach is very bad, which is not true. I have a very good relationship with the coach. They have also said that my relationship with the club is bad, which is also not true."

De Jong added that Romero "has told more lies in the past" and said the false reports were affecting how some people think about him.

Context and outlook

De Jong joined Barcelona from Ajax in 2019 and signed a new contract in October 2025 running until 2029. Barcelona previously tried to sell him to Manchester United in 2022 and 2023, but he had grown in importance under Flick and was enjoying arguably his best spell at the club before this injury. He is entering his eighth season at Barcelona, where his popularity among fans has fallen amid recurring physical problems.

Despite the frustration, De Jong expressed optimism about the new season. He praised the squad's strength, the contribution of La Masia graduates, and new signings, saying the team has "a lot of ambition to achieve many more" titles. He also thanked fans for their support during his recovery.