De Jong resurgence helping Barca dream as Dortmund visit

The Catalan giants are in contention for a possible quadruple and host Borussia Dortmund in a Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday. Since De Jong has reestablished himself, Barcelona have stepped up a gear, battling their way back to the top of La Liga as well as sailing onwards in Europe.

They last won the Champions League in 2015 and after a catalogue of humiliations find themselves back among the favourites to lift the trophy. Last season they reached the quarter-finals for the first time since 2020, and this year are favourites to progress to the final four.

De Jong has formed a stylish tandem at the heart of Barcelona's midfield with Pedri Gonzalez. While neither player is at their best when burdened with defensive responsibilities, together they do enough to help Barca survive at the back while flourishing offensively.

"Playing with a player like Pedri makes life easier," said De Jong last week. Flick hailed the duo after they helped Barca reach the Copa del Rey final with a win away at Atletico Madrid.

"Frenkie and Pedri were unbelievable, really brave with the ball, keeping the possession," enthused their coach. It has been a long road back for De Jong, who until the turn of the year was behind Marc Casado in the pecking order.

Flick started the season with youngster Marc Bernal at the base of midfield but after he suffered a long-term injury, relied on Casado. De Jong was injured in April 2024 and only returned to fitness in October and for a while Flick used him sparingly.

"He must deal with this situation, he must regain his confidence," Flick warned in November. As Barcelona's form slumped towards the end of last year, he started using De Jong ahead of Casado and it quickly paid dividends.

The Catalans are unbeaten in 22 matches in 2025, with De Jong only participating in one of Barca's six defeats this season. Casado later suffered an injury which is likely to keep him out until the end of the season, but the Dutchman had already won the spot by then.

"Casa hasn't done anything wrong... Frenkie is doing really well," explained Flick. "I spoke with Frenkie the first day here. He had a huge injury, came back step by step, day by day and he's getting better.

"And now I think also you can see how good he is, how good he is for the team."

Handbrake off

De Jong was billed as the successor to Sergio Busquets when he arrived from Ajax in 2019 for 75 million euros ($82 million), completing a dream move he had wished for since his youth. However despite a bright start, it quickly became clear his dynamic game was badly hampered if told to stay in a deep-lying role.

Years of inconsistent form, injury niggles and being forced towards the exit by the club, keen to recoup his transfer fee and unburden themselves of his wages, left De Jong in a difficult position.

De Jong has never quite fitted into the team in a position that seems totally suited to him, and even now his presence does leave Barcelona more exposed at the back.

However Flick's team play with the handbrake off and they are gloriously entertaining, scoring four or more goals on 20 occasions this season. De Jong helps the team progress with the ball, adding touches of quality and daring to Barcelona's build-up play.

"De Jong, who was sprinting nearly 90 metres or something like that (to join the attack), this is the mentality, the attitude of the team and it's good," said Flick after Barca thumped Girona 4-1 in March.

The situation off the pitch has turned for De Jong too, with reports he may sign a new deal in the coming months. After a frustrating half-decade in the Catalan capital his story is finally changing for the better.