Hey everyone! This Sunday, May 12, Frenkie de Jong is celebrating his 27th birthday. FC Barcelona took to its social media to wish the Dutch midfielder a happy birthday on this special day.
"Moltes felicitats1", "per molst anys, Frenkie" ("Many congratulations! For many years to come, Frenkie!"), a message in Catalan along with pictures of the player surrounded by festive fireworks, was Barcelona's way of honoring De Jong. He is currently recovering from his latest injury, which has kept him off the field for two more periods this season. During the last Clásico at the Bernabéu, De Jong had to be substituted in the first half due to a sprained right ankle, likely ruling him out for the rest of the season, which includes four league games. The hope is for him to be fit to play for the Dutch team in the upcoming Euro Cup.
This sprained ankle is De Jong's third major injury this season.
His first injury occurred at the start of the season on September 23, when he was injured half an hour into the match against Celta in Montjuïc. He was sidelined for two months and returned to play against Rayo on November 24.
However, his return was short-lived. In early March, De Jong suffered a sprain in the external lateral ligament of his right ankle at San Mamés, forcing him to miss four games before making a comeback in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals against PSG.
De Jong, who was signed by Ajax in 2019 for 75 million fixed euros and 11 million more in variables, is now in his fifth season at Barça. He has played a total of 213 games, scoring 17 goals and providing 20 assists.
Despite having a contract until 2026, reports from MD this week suggest that FC Barcelona has offered De Jong a contract renewal to adjust his salary and conditions, but the Dutch player has not yet responded.
This content has been translated and adapted from the Spanish version of the digital newspaper