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What's the story?
As reported by Daily Mail, Barcelona's latest acquisition and Dutch football's new poster boy, Ajax midfielder Frenkie de Jong, has stated that he cannot wait to join Lionel Messi in training and learn from the 5-time Ballon d'Or winner. De Jong was one of the driving forces behind Ajax's domestic double, and a dream run into the Champions League semi-finals this season.
In case you didn't know...
The 22-year-old central midfielder Frenkie de Jong is regarded as the long term successor to Sergi Busquets, and he joins some elite company including the legendary Johan Cryuff, Michael Laudrup, Patrick Kluivert, Frank and Ronald de Boer, Edgar Davids etc. as players who have moved from Ajax to Barcelona.
Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde pushed through the Dutch international's £65m move to the Nou Camp to add steel and much needed guile to a Barcelona midfield, that has of late never risen to the levels it has seen in the Xavi-Iniesta era. Ajax captain and central defensive mainstay Matthijs de Ligt is also widely speculated to be in the final stages of a move to the Spanish champions.
Messi is having another record-breaking season at Barcelona and is set to win his 6th Pichichi trophy for the LaLiga top scorer with 34 goals in the Spanish top flight this season, with one game left to go in the campaign. This will tie him with the legendary Telmo Zarra as the two players with the most Pichichi wins to their name, thus equalling a record that has stood for 66 years!
Messi's exploits ensured that despite the Champions League heartbreak at the hands of Liverpool, Barcelona won the LaLiga title, and are on course for a second domestic double having qualified for the Copa del Rey final.
The heart of the matter
Speaking after yesterday's 4-1 win over De Graafschap, which clinched Ajax their first Eredivisie title in five years, Frenkie de Jong sounded excited to be soon joining his new club mates at Barcelona.
"I'm dying to see Messi during training, I think I'm just going to pass the ball to him, haha,' he said. I'm not going to change the way I am, I do not care if I'm going to be the centre of attention in Barcelona. I'm curious to know how I'm going to adapt there and I'm eager to learn from the best people around me."
What's next?
It remains to be seen if Messi features in Barcelona's final LaLiga game of the season against Eibar on Sunday. Valverde will want to conserve his star man's energy for the Copa del Rey final versus Valencia on 26th May, Sunday..
