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Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong provided a hilarious response when asked what he would have done if he wasn't a footballer.
Born in May 1997, De Jong started playing football at a very young age and joined Willem's youth academy in 2004. Over the next 19 years, he rapidly progressed to become one of the finest central midfielders in Europe.
For someone who started playing football early and was already a regular for Ajax as a teenager, De Jong didn't need a backup career plan. In an interaction with the club media recently, he was asked what he would have done if he wasn't playing football professionally.
The Netherlands international wrote a hilarious response on the whiteboard, which read (h/t @FCBarcelona on Twitter):
"Without a job"
The answer caught Robert Lewandowski off guard, who almost went down to the ground with laughter. The Polish hitman's response was much more refined, as he said that he would have been a lawyer if he wasn't a footballer.
De Jong joined Barca from Ajax in 2019 for €89 million. He has had 15 goals and 21 assists in 183 games across competitions for the reigning La Liga champions. The Dutchman has been linked with a move to Bayern Munich recently.
However, Barca will reportedly not allow him to leave, despite agreeing a fee with Manchester United to sell him a year ago.
Frenkie de Jong has no plans of leaving Barcelona
Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong is seemingly happy to stay at the Camp Nou for a while.
In an interview on Catalan radio outlet RAC-1 in March (via SPORT), De Jong said:
"I have always dreamed of playing for Barca, and I want to succeed at Barca. ... I am very happy, comfortable, participating more in the game."
The Dutchman, 26, has three years left in his contract. He's a key component in Barcelona's midfield, and his influence could increase in the absence of Sergio Busquets next season.
De Jong ended last season with two goals and four assists in 43 games, winning the league and Supercopa de Espana. He only missed five games in La Liga — four due to injury.
