Frenkie de Jong has said he is disappointed at how few trophies he has won with Barcelona and that he will only stay at the club if he feels he can still contribute on the pitch.
The 27-year-old joined Barça from Ajax in 2019 but has won just three titles since signing — one LaLiga, a Copa del Rey and the Spanish Supercopa — and has been plagued by ankle problems during the last two seasons.
“Barça was and is my dream club,” De Jong said in an interview with Voetbal International on Thursday. “As a little boy, I wanted to play here. I still enjoy every day at this club, but as in real life, not everything is as ideal as you imagine.
“There is a reason they say you should never meet your heroes, right? I must confess that when I signed my contract here, I did not think that after [five] years I would have won only one LaLiga, one Copa del Rey and one Supercopa.
“I thought at least double that, so in terms of trophies, it’s disappointing. But, along the way, things always happen that you can’t foresee beforehand.”
De Jong is currently experiencing the most difficult period of his time at the Catalan club after suffering a string of ankle injuries last season.
The Dutch international has spoken about the “mental trauma” those injuries have caused him, while they have combined with him moving into the final 18 months of his contract with Barça, which expires in 2026.
He has previously turned down offers to leave the club, including from Manchester United in 2022, but says he would consider leaving if he felt was not up the level required.
“People often think I want to stay at Barcelona forever because I live so nicely here alongside football,” he added. “That is true, but it is secondary to what happens on the pitch.
“If I notice that I can’t show enough here, that I am not contributing or that I can’t win anything with the team, I wouldn’t be here anymore.
“I am at a crossroads in my career. I still have a year and a half at Barcelona and you read in the newspapers that this is an issue. For me, it is not right now.
“Let me start playing football again first, then we’ll see what the club has planned and then I’ll sit down with my family and [my agent] to decide what I want myself.”
De Jong is aware that time is of the essence. He returned from his latest ankle problem in October but has started just two games since and was an unused substitute in Barça’s last two matches before the winter break.
“I need time, I know that and the coach knows that,” he said of not making it off the bench in home defeats against first Leganés and then Atlético Madrid, who jumped ahead of Barça at the top of LaLiga.
“If I don’t play in a few weeks, it’s my own fault. It really has to happen now; that feeling is very strong with me.”
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