Video: Frenkie de Jong spotted unwilling to lift Barcelona trophy | OneFootball

At a time when almost everyone at Barcelona are elated following the club’s emphatic 5-2 victory over Real Madrid in the Super Cup final, Frenkie de Jong has found himself in a tough spot.

The midfielder has struggled to re-establish himself as a first-team regular at Barcelona since returning from injury.

He has fallen behind the likes of Pedri, Gavi, and Marc Casado in the pecking order, with no further guarantee of prominence in Hansi Flick’s plans.

De Jong spotted unwilling to lift trophy

In light of de Jong’s woes at Barcelona, a video has emerged from the club’s title celebration last night where the midfielder visibly looks demotivated.

As Barcelona players were celebrating in the stadium by parading around with the Super Cup trophy, Fermin Lopez approached de Jong, asking him to lift the trophy.

The Dutchman, though, looked unnaturally demotivated and unwilling to lift the title at first. But after a little push from Fermin, the midfielder lifted the trophy, but that too, with not much enthusiasm.

Although it would perhaps be unfair to judge de Jong’s motivation and desire to play for Barcelona just from this clip, it must be noted that the Dutchman hasn’t had much action at all during the Super Cup campaign.

De Jong did not play a single minute in the final against Real Madrid. He hadn’t started in the semifinal against Athletic Club either, appearing only as a late substitute for Pedri.

Grim future ahead at Barcelona?

The road ahead for de Jong is bound to get more difficult unless someone like Casado or Pedri picks up an injury during the second half of the campaign.

This would eventually lead to talks of de Jong’s potential early exit from Barcelona next summer, though it remains to be seen whether or not the player himself would opt for an exit.

Ever since the Manchester United saga, de Jong’s relationship with the Barcelona board has fallen greatly.

In fact, there are doubts creeping in at Barça, who fear that the midfielder might want to run down his contract and leave the club on a free transfer. His contract at Camp Nou expires in 2026.

Barcelona have approached the Dutchman for a contract renewal, but are yet to make any advances, with the player himself repeatedly stalling progress.

Keeping that in mind, it won’t be surprising to see the Catalans soon consider offers for de Jong, who has already been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia.

From a sporting perspective, it won’t make much sense to keep hold of de Jong, who has struggled to offer Hansi Flick the perfect balance between defence and attack.

Therefore, a summer sale could indeed prove to be the most logical outcome for all parties involved. Should the midfielder hold out for a free transfer, though, Barça might take drastic measures by freezing him out for the entirety of the 2025/26 campaign.

The coming few months could thus be critical as Barcelona choose between rebuilding their relationship with the exiled midfielder and paving the way for newer players to compete and occupy his position in the middle of the park.