Frenkie de Jong has launched a fierce response to what he describes as a wave of “fake news” surrounding his Barcelona career, insisting several reports about his relationship with the club and Hansi Flick are simply untrue.
The 29-year-old midfielder is currently facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a knee ligament injury, but the physical setback has been accompanied by another battle away from the pitch.
De Jong says inaccurate reports have damaged his reputation and left him increasingly frustrated.
The Netherlands international specifically called out journalist Gerard Romero, accusing him of publishing false claims about his attitude towards Barcelona and his relationship with key figures at the club.
Speaking through Barcelona’s official media channels, De Jong made it clear that he had reached the point where he could no longer ignore the reports.
“There is a lot of noise surrounding me and a lot of fake news,” De Jong told the club’s official media channels Friday. “It’s bothering me, so I want to clear a couple of things up.
“Publishing so much fake news does damage to my image. For example, Gerard Romero said I refused to play against Atletico last season in the Champions League.
“It’s fake news. It’s not true. It’s my dream to play for Barça — of course I want to play in Champions League matches. I don’t understand how he can say that.
“People see that and they get angry with me. We live in a time where it is more important for many journalists to publish something rather than get something out that is true.
“Then he said my relationship with the coach is bad. False. I have a very good relationship with [Flick]. We talk a lot.
“[He said] that my relationship with the club is bad. False again. I speak with a lot of people at the club.
“Gerard Romero has told other lies in the past. But I am not going to let it slide any more because he has to understand that if he publishes fake news I am going to call him out.”
The comments represent an unusually direct response from the Barcelona midfielder, who has generally avoided becoming involved in public disputes.
Romero later responded on his Twitch channel, maintaining that he stood by his reporting on De Jong’s situation at the Catalan club.
One of the claims that particularly angered De Jong was the suggestion that he had refused to play against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last season.
The midfielder dismissed that allegation emphatically, pointing to his desire to represent Barcelona on the biggest European stage.
For De Jong, the idea that he would deliberately turn down a Champions League appearance is difficult to accept.
He also rejected suggestions that tensions had developed between himself and Flick or Barcelona’s hierarchy.
The midfielder says his relationship with Flick remains positive and that he continues to communicate regularly with people within the club.
De Jong’s frustration has been amplified by his current injury situation.
The Dutchman is expected to miss the opening stages of the new season after suffering a knee ligament problem, with sources indicating that his absence is likely to be measured in months rather than weeks.
The injury has also generated speculation about whether De Jong prioritised the Netherlands over Barcelona after first suffering the problem. He has now offered his version of events.
“I wanted to get all this off my chest so I can focus on my recovery,” he continued. “I am really pissed off with the injury. What I most love is playing football.
“I had some bad luck; an accident in training. Someone fell on me and I had a small issue with the knee. Tests showed a small problem, but [the physios] told me I could keep playing through the pain. They assured me it would not get worse.
“Playing at the World Cup is a dream, so I did [play on]. I stayed in contact with Barca, came back after and did some more tests, which is when a scan showed the injury was more serious than when we did tests in the United States.”
De Jong says he accepts that his performances can be judged and debated. What he cannot accept, however, is what he considers fabricated stories about his conduct.
That distinction appears to be at the heart of his decision to speak publicly.
The midfielder’s immediate priority is now rehabilitation rather than responding to every report surrounding him.
With no confirmed return date, Barcelona will have to manage without one of their most experienced midfielders at the beginning of the campaign.
For De Jong, getting back on the pitch could be the strongest answer of all.
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