Youthful Launch: De Jong's Youth Training Years
De Jong, a player with a strong connection to his hometown club Willem II, has been showing exceptional skills on the pitch since he was a young boy, and made his Dutch Eredivisie debut on May 10, 2015, in a match between Willem II and ADO The Hague.
Moving on to Ajax: the first glimpse of what's to come
De Jong joined Ajax in the summer transfer window, and after a brief return to his parent club, he came through the Ajax youth ranks in the 2015/16 season to be named the Dutch Eredivisie Rookie of the Year. He was then promoted to the first team in the second half of the 2016/17 season and made a brief appearance as a substitute in the UEFA Cup final.
Position change: back to center back
In the 2017/18 season, faced with a shortage of personnel in the Ajax backline, De Jong was temporarily moved to center back until the team strengthened its squad in the winter transfer window.
Glory added: Ajax's path to the title
De Jong became a stalwart of Ajax in the 2018/19 season as the team won the Dutch Eredivisie & Dutch Cup and reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League Cup. In the Champions League match against Real Madrid, he even helped his team win away from home by holding off Luka Modric. At the end of the season, De Jong was awarded the Dutch Football Rookie of the Year (Cruyff Award).
A new chapter for Barcelona: De Jong's magnificent turnaround
De Jong joined Barcelona on January 24, 2019 for €75 million plus a €11 million float clause, becoming the 20th Dutch international in the club's history.
So, is this all there is to De Jong's career? Stay tuned for more stats and highlights on him as we follow up.
