The ordeal is over: De Jong reveals the secret of playing injured at the World Cup
A chronology of the Barcelona star's run of injuries
Barcelona and their fans can finally breathe a sigh of relief. After more than a year of suffering and repeated absences, Dutch star Frenkie de Jong has been given full medical clearance and is now completely available to coach Hansi Flick, included in the squad for the eagerly awaited meeting with Real Betis.
His return means far more than one player coming back. It closes a long chapter of pain and rotten luck that began over a year ago and spiralled after a reckless decision at the World Cup.
A timeline of a never-ending run of injuries
Last season already battered the Dutch midfield maestro, who missed 9 matches through 4 separate injuries. Then came the knockout blow this season, according to Spanish newspaper "Mundo Deportivo".
1. The beginning, 5 September: While playing for the Netherlands against Lithuania, he suffered a minor muscle injury to the external obturator muscle in his right leg. It cost him just one match, against Valencia. It looked like a passing problem. It was the first spark.
2. The second blow, 26 February: In training, he tore the lower part of the muscle of his right arm, an injury that ruled him out of 6 fiery matches against Villarreal, Atletico Madrid, Athletic Bilbao, Newcastle, Sevilla and Rayo Vallecano.
3. The mystery, 11 May: A third setback, shrouded in mystery with no official explanation from the club. He missed Alaves and Real Betis. The secrecy hinted at something worrying: the player was no longer recovering fully.
4. The major disaster, the World Cup (3 to 30 June): Here begins the decisive and most controversial stage. De Jong played for the Netherlands at the World Cup while feeling discomfort, and got through 6 full matches without being physically ready.
The shock: he played the World Cup with a torn ligament!
On 23 July, Barcelona dropped a bombshell, confirming in an official statement that the pain De Jong had been suffering from was in fact a tear in the medial collateral ligament of his right knee. In other words, the Barcelona star completed the World Cup playing with a torn ligament that had not been diagnosed, or at least had not been announced.
De Jong himself broke his silence in a moving interview with the club's media: "I'm extremely upset. It really bothers me because what I love most is playing football, especially with Barcelona and the national team."
He added: "I suffered a minor injury at the World Cup, and I want to make it clear so people know what happened. It was an injury in which I think I was unlucky, because it was an accident: someone fell on top of me."
Then came the details of the decision he came to regret: "They ran tests on me and it turned out there was something minor. They told me I could carry on playing, that I would feel discomfort and pain, but that I could continue. I asked them and they assured me it would not get any worse."
He concluded: "I carried on playing because I love playing, and the World Cup is a dream. I would do anything to play, and I have done that many times with Barcelona too."
A heavy toll: 14 matches missed
That final injury hit hardest of all. He missed 14 matches this season alone, 10 of them with Barcelona (Elche, Athletic Bilbao, Rayo Vallecano, Valencia, Feyenoord, Levante, Racing Santander, Sevilla, Getafe and Galatasaray) and 4 with the Netherlands (Germany, Serbia, Greece and Serbia again).
Fully recovered, De Jong now walks back into a new challenge and a completely different team. Rodri has taken his position. Flick is already weighing up a new role for him as a left-sided centre-back, keen to squeeze everything he can from this long-awaited return.
