Barcelona player Frenkie de Jong (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Frenkie de Jong was dressed in bright white as he sat in the interview room, wearing a blue Barcelona training kit with bright yellow trim. It was a confident look from a player who knows history is just one game away.This Sunday night, Hansi Flick’s Barcelona could clinch the league title against eternal rival, Real Madrid, in a Clásico that means much more than just bragging rights. Such an occasion has never occurred in the 97-year history of La Liga.
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The big episode is set to kick off at the renovated Camp Nou, which will host its first Clásico in more than 1,000 days. In the October meeting between the two clubs at the Bernabeu, Real Madrid’s victory opened a five-point gap at the top of the table.
Barcelona now leads by 11 points, needing only a draw to secure the championship with only 4 games to play.“The approach is the same because we are always preparing to win,” De Jong said. “But of course the feeling is different. It’s El Clásico, and now it’s even more special because we can win the Spanish League.”Momentum has changed sharply since those early months of the season. Madrid enters the weekend in turmoil with coaching uncertainty, internal clashes and apathy, while Barcelona takes a leap of faith.
“There are moments in the season when the team grows,” De Jong said. “I think we’re more reliable now than we were at the beginning. We’ve always had quality, but form, injuries and availability are important. Real Madrid have a great squad, but maybe they’re not in their best moment now. We’re focusing on ourselves.”In matches of this size, the midfield can decide the outcome, and Barcelona’s lack of a Sergio Busquets-style defensive anchor is a recurring point of discussion. Especially with the exit from the semi-finals and quarter-finals of the Champions League in successive seasons, despite his promising appearance.De Jong dismissed the idea that Barcelona lacks balance in the midfield. He added: “We have a great midfield. “Injuries always affect the team, but one of our strengths is the depth and diversity in this area.”However, he acknowledged continuing frustration in Europe. “The Champions League was disappointing because we thought we could go further,” he said. “But overall, we had a good season. We scored a lot of goals, we have a lot of points in the league, and winning the league requires consistency more than anything else.
Because of Europe, the season may not have been great, but it was good.At just 28 years old, De Jong has quietly become Barcelona’s longest-serving first-team player (318 appearances) and the Dutchman with the most caps in the club’s history, extending a lineage closely linked to the Netherlands and influential figures such as Johan Cruyff.His career was interrupted at times due to injury. Now he finds himself mentoring a younger generation, especially Lamine Yamal, whose meteoric rise has brought him acclaim and scrutiny off the field.
The disabled Yamal will miss Sunday’s game, his season having been undermined by concerns about his persistent ‘chronic pain’ condition despite his star-studded performance.“I think it should continue as it is,” De Jong said. “He should enjoy football the way he always has. If he continues to do that, I think he will have a great career, and that will be good for us as well.”On the other side stands Kylian Mbappe, whose second season in Madrid has sparked waves of criticism from Los Blancos fans despite his high turnover rate of 41 goals from 41 matches.De Jong was measured in his evaluation. He said: “Mbappe is one of the best players in the world.” “When he plays, Real Madrid becomes stronger. But football can be very reactionary. One result or one action changes everything in people’s minds.”However, for the silent curator, the larger truth of the game remains unchanged. “It’s not really about individuals,” he said. “Both teams have great players. What decides the matches now is teamwork and hard work.”And if Barcelona completes the mission against Real Madrid?“It’s not over yet,” De Jong said, smiling again. “But I hope Sunday becomes my favorite moment of the season.”(Watch El Clasico live and exclusively on FanCode from 00.30 on 11 May)