De Jong: "Barça and I both want to win the Champions League"
The young midfielder has set in sights on winning the biggest prize in European football after both he and Barça reached the semi-finals last year
Frenkie de Jong is already thinking about his objectives at FC Barcelona. In an exclusive interview with Barça TV, he expressed his desire to win the Champions League. "I believe that Barça, as much as myself, want to win the Champions League this year. I hope we'll be able to do that."
De Jong was eliminated at the semi-final stage with Ajax last season whilst Barça were knocked out at the same stage by Liverpool. "I know how it feels to be eliminated in the semi-finals and I don't want to feel that again."
"I began following Barça when I was nine after they had won the Champions League in 2006. Since then I've seen a lot of their matches because they've always been an attractive team to watch. They must always keep their philosophy because it's very important to the club."
De Jong knows that comparisons will be made between him and previous stars but he's just focused on leaving his own mark on the club. "I don't want to be compared with Xavi, Iniesta or Busquets but I believe it's a perfect team for me to adapt to because they control possession and matches."
Despite the vastly different budgets, de Jong believes the pressure at Ajax is similar to the one he'll face at Barça. "I know that nobody expected Ajax to win the Champions League but the pressure is very high there too. In the Dutch Cup and the league they expect you to win everything and do it by playing attractive football. At Barça, it's the same, but there's also more pressure to win the Champions League. If you're Barça, you have to win all the titles available."
De Jong found it difficult to focus on just one specific memory of Barça. "I'd have to say the final of the 2011 Champions League or the 'El Clasico' at the Camp Nou against Real Madrid that finished 5-0. That season Barça played the best football I've ever seen."
