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What is the story?
Ajax midfielder Frenkie de Jong has insisted that Juventus have been much more superior than Real Madrid this season and also tagged the Bianconeri as one of the “favorites” to lift this year’s Champions League.
In case you didn’t know….
The 21-year-old Dutch midfielder played a crucial role in Ajax’s thumping 5-3 aggregate win over the 13-time European Champion Real Madrid in the Round of 16 tie.
De Jong dominated the midfield throughout the second leg at Santiago Bernabéu and gave a masterclass to the likes of Luka Modrić and Toni Kroos. He was brave, confident and the composure he showed with the ball at his feet was just mesmerizing.
But this time on, they will face the daunting task of knocking the mighty Juventus out as they seek to secure their first Champions League semi-final spot since the 1996-97 season.
However, irrespective of what happens this season, de Jong will wear the famous Blaugrana shirt from the start of next season after Barcelona confirmed the long-awaited signing of the Dutch midfielder for a staggering fee of €75 million, plus a further 11 million add-ons, back in January.
The heart of the matter…
In an interview with De Telegraaf (via Marca) the future Barcelona midfielder ranked Juventus ahead of the Los Blancos.
"I rate Juventus a little higher than Real Madrid," he said.
"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.”
He was also hopeful about Ronaldo’s return to the Juventus starting eleven.
"I hope that Cristiano Ronaldo has recovered from his injury and plays. He's a top player and although the chances of us winning are greater if Juventus are without him, I want to play against and beat the best players," he added.
What’s Next?
Frenkie de Jong will start for the Dutch side as they will take on the old lady of Turin on Wednesday night at Johan Cruyff ArenA in Amsterdam.
