You’ll forgive me if I can’t find a better word to define the situation that haunts Frenkie De Jongfor which there is not a single day since the end of the season in which the doors are open to leave the Barça. With the excuse that Ten Hagthe new coach of the Manchester Unitedwants to make it the cornerstone of his new project at Old Trafford, as years ago they stood out together at the Ajaxat the Camp Nou, drowned by the need to raise cash, they are eager to sell one of the few players with a market in the first team.
Over Xavi he puts gasoline on the subject by approving the departure of the Dutchman in exchange for the arrival of Bernard Silva from City. Although the one from Terrassa has always been full of praise for De Jongthe various occasions that the Dutchman was chosen as the first change are not forgotten, to the dismay of the footballer.
Barça has never been a selling club, quite the opposite. Only on rare occasions has he been forced to part with one of his stars and out of necessity. This was the case for Luisito Suarez in 1961, who after becoming the only Spanish footballer capable of winning a Ballon d’Or, was transferred for the then-record amount of 25 million pesetas to the Inter de Milan. Pressed by the debts caused by the construction of the Camp Nou, the president of a management board, Julia de Campmanyyielded to the wishes of the footballer, very pressured by his supporter Helenio Herrera and annoyed with the disagreement with the Barcelona fans, who from a nostalgic sector did not conceive the eclipse of the idol Countingin exchange for the elevation of the ‘architect’, as he baptized Di Stefano to the young Galician talent.
The consequences of that decision would be paid for 14 years, which would take the Blaugrana to win a League again, thanks especially to the signing of Johan Cruyff. While at Inter, Suarezexcellently accompanied by Fachetti, Mazzola, jair, Corso and company, would win two European Cups, the Intercontinental and ‘scudettos’.
A similar case would also be that of Maradonawho after two seasons of irregular performance due to let’s say ‘hepatitis’ and being seriously injured by a criminal entry by the Basque Goikoetxeawas transferred by the president Núñez to Naples for 1,200 million pesetas. You never know what would have happened had you followed the ‘Fluff‘ Dressed as a Blaugrana, but what is confirmed is that he was able to turn a modest team like the Neapolitan into a double League champion, beating the great teams from the north such as Juve, Milan and Inter. In addition to adding a UEFA Cup and, most importantly, winning the 86 World Cup with Argentina.
There were other cases of noisy leaks. Like the Romario, rushed back to Brazil half a year after winning the World Cup in USA’94 to play for Flamengo. Or three years later, kidnapped by his representatives, the march of Ronaldo Nazario to Inter. Plus the leaks, prior payment of millionaire escape clauses, of Figo to Madrid and Neymar to PSG, protagonists of two acts of treason.
The Dutch case is different. He is invited to go when he has a luxurious house to release in Pedralbes, and having engaged in marriage with Mikky, her inseparable partner who loves living in Barcelona. That she doesn’t end up going through what she used to say Di Stefano of what was happening in Argentine soccer, “where we sell the good ones to buy the bad ones”. Or maybe De Jong he is paying to have been the star signing of Bartomeu.