Frenkie de Jong hits major milestone with Barcelona surpassing Dutch legend Patrick Kluivert | OneFootball

FC Barcelona have enjoyed a brilliant season under Hansi Flick and many players have stepped up and had solid campaigns. The German coach has managed to improve the game of many names in the squad and the step up has been obvious.

One player who had a torrid first half of the season was Frenkie de Jong. The Barcelona captain was still recovering from an injury he suffered early last year and it took him a long time for him to even come back to the pitch.

Even when he returned, Frenkie looked like a fish out of water. The ankle injury was weighing him down and he wasn’t able to play with the same confidence as before. Marc Casado usurped him to the pivot position and he was an unused substitute in the Spanish Super Cup final against Real Madrid in January.

From an outcast to indispensable

Frenkie has been in brilliant form this season. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

It was a low point for the Barcelona captain, but ever since, his stature in this team has grown astronomically. Frenkie has rediscovered his best form and improved his defensive acumen to look comfortable playing in the pivot position in Flick’s team.

As a captain, he has been brilliant, especially in the last few games of the season. The Dutchman has hardly put a foot wrong since the start of January and from being booed by fans, he has won them over in some fashion.

As per Mundo Deportivo, the €45m-rated midfielder continues to rise up the ladder as he surpassed Patrick Kluivert after the Villarreal game to become the Dutch player with the third most appearances in the history of the Catalan club.

Frenkie de Jong has been magical, as the numbers suggest. (Source: DataMB)

Slowly yet surely climbing to the top

Frenkie now has 258 official matches for Barcelona, which is only fewer than Ronald Koeman (264) and Phillip Cocu (292). If he stays at the club for even more season, one cannot put it past the Dutchman to become the most-capped Dutch player in the club’s history.

When the 28-year-old is on song, there aren’t many midfielders in the world who are better than him and in Hansi Flick, the Dutch midfield maestro has a coach who trusts him and is willing to give him a defined role in midfield.

The only thing for Frenkie to do now is the sign the paper on a new contract with the Catalan club. The fans are behind him now, more than ever and if he extends his contract, the support would multiply in proportion. It remains to be seen how his career in a Blaugrana jersey progresses.