The two Dutch stars will have a bigger audience when they take on Real Madrid in the Last 16 of the Champions League
Real Madrid could've been handed a much more difficult draw than Ajax but they won't find it easy against De Jong and De Ligt. Both players are at the top of FC Barcelona's transfer wishlist and what better way to audition for your potential new club than by knocking out one of their most fierce rivals? This will be the first time the pair have been tested on the biggest stage of the Champions League.
Ajax had a good qualifying campaign and fought until the last game against Bayern Munich to try and finish top of the pile, ultimately coming up just short. The fallen Dutch giants have rebuilt their squad and will look to show the world they can still compete against the very best. The performances of De Jong and De Ligt have been key to that revival and it'll be interesting to see if they can resist offers for the pair this summer.
De Jong is much closer to signing for Barça than his teammate De Ligt. There's a lot more competition for the young centre back from Juventus, PSG and Manchester City. If the two are ready to make that step up and play in a major European league, the matches against Real Madrid will go a long way to proving whether that's true or not.
