Frenkie de Jong Confronts Media Over False Claims

Frenkie de Jong has moved from silence to open confrontation.

In a forthright interview with Barcelona’s club media, the Dutch midfielder directly called out reporter Gerard Romero, accusing him of spreading “false” stories and vowing not to let them pass unchecked anymore.

De Jong, who has clashed with sections of the press before, focused on one claim in particular – that he allegedly refused to play for Barcelona in a Champions League match against Atletico last season.

“For example, Gerard Romero. He said, and he started all of this, that I refused to play against Atletico in the Champions League last year. That’s false. It’s false. It’s simply not true,” De Jong said.

The 27-year-old insisted the idea he would turn down such a game goes against everything he feels about the club and the competition.

“As I said, my dream is to play for Barca, especially in important Champions League matches. Of course I want to play. I don’t understand how you can say that I refused to play. And obviously, if people get angry and if that’s the only information they have, I understand. That’s why I’m explaining.”

The midfielder then widened his attack, challenging a series of narratives he says have been pushed about his situation at Barcelona.

“Then he said that my relationship with the coach is very bad, which is completely false. I have a very good relationship with the coach. I talk to him a lot. You can ask him about all of this. It’s completely false.

“They’ve also said that my relationship with the club is bad, which is also not true, because I talk a lot with people at the club, with the directors and so on. Then they said I’m being punished. That was Gerard Romero again, and I want to mention it because I think he’s already told more lies in the past.”

The tone hardened as De Jong made clear this marks a turning point in how he deals with media reports.

“But I’m not going to let it slide anymore, because he needs to understand that if he puts things out that aren’t true, I’m going to call him out on it.”

Away from the noise, De Jong is still working his way back from a knee injury. He admitted part of the motivation for speaking now was to clear his head and channel his energy where it matters most.

He wants, as he put it, to “get that anger off his chest” so he can focus fully on his recovery and return to the pitch as quickly as possible – and, when he does, to be judged on his football rather than the rumours swirling around him.