Frenkie de Jong's signing for Barcelona could prove one of the Catalan club's finest signings of the last decade. It's early to say how the Dutch midfielder would do but he arrives with an extraordinary reputation thanks to his performances this season, like Wednesday's in the Champions League against Juventus.
Against Cristiano Ronaldo's side, De Jong, still just 21, broke a record set by Sergio Busquets, who will be his teammate next season. The midfielder was involved in 117 moves. It's a figure which has not been matched since 2010, when Busquets managed it against Inter Milan. In data compiled by Marca, De Jong made 98 passes, 90 of them successfully and 54 in the opposition half. His completion rate was 90 percent. The numbers reflect that he will fit in perfectly at Barça.
In terms of recoveries, De Jong won the ball back 17 times, committed one foul and won one free kick. One of the moments of the game which most caught the eye was when he raced back into his own box to prevent an almost certain Juve goal. It was a sign of sacrifice which will please Barça.
