Barcelona Star Reacts To Lionel Messi's Decision To Stay

Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong is delighted to hear that club captain Lionel Messi has decided to stay at Camp Nou.

One of Barca’s rising stars, De Jong played well for his national side, the Netherlands, in its 1-0 victory over Poland in the UEFA Nations League on Friday, Sept. 4. After the match, the Dutch midfielder addressed a few issues regarding his Spanish side, Barcelona.

Among the predictable questions asked was De Jong’s reaction to Messi’s decision to continue playing at Camp Nou. According to the versatile playmaker, he was “very happy” to hear that Barcelona will have Messi for at least one more year.

De Jong insisted that he has hasn’t talked to anybody from Barcelona, especially regarding what’s going on with Messi, saying, “It makes sense to follow it from a distance.” After all, the 23-year-old is now relieved knowing that Barca still has one of the best players in the world on their side.

“Yes, I read it. Personally I am very happy with it,” De Jong told NOS of Messi’s decision to stay. “He [Messi] is the best player in the world. So if he stays, you are happy. I have not had any contact with people from Barcelona. It became known quite late and we were preparing for the game, but I am very happy with it.”

Messi has long been a role model for De Jong. The youngster has always been vocal about his admiration for Messi’s abilities as a player.

In an extract from the upcoming book “Van Johan tot Frenkie” pre-published by Algemeen Dagblad, De Jong opened up about what he realized playing alongside the six-time Ballon d’Or winner.

For De Jong, to say that Messi is Barcelona’s captain may be an understatement as “Leo” is more than just a legend in the sport. Based on his assessment, Messi is the “best in all aspects of the game.”

De Jong added that most of Barcelona's players need to adjust to the 33-year-old's game, but he does not find it difficult to keep up with the Barca captain.

“I notice that he [Messi] is the best in all aspects of the game,” he said in the book by Edwin Winkels, a freelance journalist based in Spain and a former reporter for the newspaper El Periódico de Catalunya. “Playing in position, in finishing, he sees the game well, he is fast, agile, small but super strong. We mainly have to adapt to him, but that is not difficult.”