The fifth anniversary of de Jong's Barcelona debut: more disappointment than success, facing questions from fans(YAJING)

Today marks five years since De Jong made his Barcelona debut. In response, the Daily Sport newspaper wrote that he has brought more disappointment than success.

De Jong moved from Ajax to the Nou Camp for a fee of €75 million, plus a €11 million add-on. De Jong's acquisition was considered a "strategic" signing by then-president Josep Maria Bartomeu. On 5 July 2019, he made his official debut at Barca's home Camp Nou in front of a crowd of 19,850.

Since then, De Jong has played a total of 213 official games, scoring 17 goals and handing out 21 assists for a total of 17,043 minutes.

As a member of Barcelona, De Jong has not performed as well as expected. In four seasons, he won just three trophies: the Copa del Rey in 2020-21, the Spanish Super Cup in 2022-23 and La Liga.

Despite scoring 17 goals, De Jong's performances often looked inconsistent and failed to have a decisive impact on games. De Jong has missed nearly four months because of a grade 2 sprain in his right ankle. The injury caused him to miss the recent European Championship in Germany. He is expected to return after the international break in September.

According to the latest reports in AS, Barca are "baffled" by De Jong's attitude and are reluctant to leave the club despite receiving a number of transfer offers. It is worth mentioning that at the Gamble Cup on August 12, de Jong was also booed by fans.