Kamal Ghorui
Frenkie de Jong flashed his pearly whites as he sat in the interview room, dressed in Barcelona’s training blue with bright yellow trims. It was an assured look of a player, aware that history is one match away.This Sunday night, Hansi Flick’s Barcelona can clinch the league crown against their eternal rivals, Real Madrid, in a Clasico that means much more than bragging rights. Such an occasion has never arisen in La Liga’s 97-year-old history.
The grand episode is set to unfold at the refurbished Camp Nou, which will stage its first Clasico in more than 1,000 days. In the Oct Bernabeu meeting between the clubs, Madrid’s victory had opened a five-point gap at the top of the table. Now Barcelona lead by 11, needing only a draw to secure the championship with only 4 matches to play.“The approach is the same because we always prepare to win,” De Jong said. “But of course, the feeling is different. It’s El Clasico, and now it’s even more special because we can win La Liga.”The momentum has shifted sharply since those early months of the season. Madrid enter the weekend amid turbulence with coaching uncertainty, internal clashes, and indifferent form, while Barcelona are bouncing on belief.“There are moments in a season where a team grows,” De Jong said. “I think we are more reliable now than we were at the beginning. We’ve always had quality, but form, injuries and availability matter. Madrid has a great team, but maybe they are not in their best moment right now. We focus on ourselves.”In matches of this magnitude, the midfield may determine the outcome, and Barcelona’s lack of a defensive fulcrum in the nature of Sergio Busquets is a recurring point of discussion. Especially with exits in the semis and quarters of the Champions League in consecutive seasons, despite showing promise.De Jong dismissed the notion that Barcelona lack balance in the centre. “We have a great midfield,” he said. “Injuries always affect a team, but one of our strengths is depth and versatility in that area.”However, he acknowledged the lingering frustration in Europe. “The Champions League was disappointing because we thought we could go further,” he said. “But overall, we’ve had a good season. We’ve scored many goals, we have a lot of points in Liga, and winning the league requires consistency more than anything. Because of Europe, maybe the season hasn’t been great, but it has been good.”At only 28, De Jong has quietly become Barcelona’s longest-serving first-team player (318 matches) and the Dutchman with the most appearances in club history, extending a lineage deeply tied to the Netherlands and influential figures like Johan Cruyff.His own career has been interrupted at times by injury. Now he finds himself guiding a younger generation, particularly Lamine Yamal, whose rapid ascent has brought both acclaim and scrutiny off the field. A hamstrung Yamal will miss Sunday’s match, and this season has been undermined by concerns over his ongoing ‘pubalgia’ condition despite his starry performances.“I think he should continue exactly as he is,” De Jong said. “He should enjoy football the way he always has. If he keeps doing that, I believe he will have a great career, and that will also be beneficial for us.”Across the divide stands Kylian Mbappe, whose second season in Madrid has prompted waves of criticism from Los Blancos fans despite his high turnover of 41 goals from 41 matches.De Jong was measured in his assessment. “Mbappe is one of the best players in the world,” he said. “When he plays, Madrid are stronger. But football can be very reactionary. One result or action changes everything in people’s minds.”For the silent orchestrator, though, the game’s larger truth remains unchanged. “It’s not really about individuals,” he said. “Both teams have great players. What decides matches now is teamwork and hard work.”And if Barcelona complete the task against Real?“It’s not over yet,” De Jong said, smiling again. “But I hope Sunday will become my favourite moment of the season.”(Watch El Clasico LIVE and exclusively on FanCode from 00.30 hrs on May 11 )
