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What's the story?
Ajax star Frenkie De Jong has highlighted Real Madrid's poor form this season, with the youngster claiming that Juventus are better than Los Blancos, ahead of his side's meeting with the Italian champions.
In case you didn't know...
One of the biggest news of the January transfer news was Barcelona securing the services of Frenkie De Jong from Ajax for a reported fee of €75 million. The 21-year-old wonder kid has been the center of attraction and is being hailed as a player of massive potential. The Dutch prodigy will join Barcelona at the end of the season.
A product of the famed Ajax academy, the Dutch youngster has shown all hallmarks of a great midfielder through his majestic performances throughout the season. One such performance was against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu which saw Los Blancos get knocked out from the Champions League after winning it in the last three campaigns.
De Jong also proved his calibre in national team colours and it is rare for a player of his age to show such composure, vision and movements with the ball. If he manages to fulfil his potential, he will be a great asset for Barcelona in the coming years.
The heart of the matter
De Jong, who will be featuring for Barcelona next season, claimed that Juventus are a much better team than Real Madrid at the moment.
"I rate Juventus a little higher than Real Madrid," De Jong told De Telegraaf as quoted by Marca.
"Don't get me wrong, Madrid are a top club, but this season their form is somewhat less [than when they won three consecutive Champions Leagues]."
"Juventus are one of the favourites for the trophy. I am curious how we will deal with them. It is a great challenge. If we reach our normal level, we can also make it difficult for Juventus."
What's next?
Ajax are currently atop the Dutch league table and have reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League. De Jong and company will host Juventus in the first leg of the quarter-final clash tonight.
