Frenkie de Jong criticised following Netherlands’ 2026 World Cup exit – “He played the worst match I’ve ever seen” | OneFootball

In the early hours of Tuesday morning, Barcelona saw Frenkie de Jong’s involvement at the 2026 World Cup come to an end. The 29-year-old tried his best over the course of 110 minutes, but he was unable to stop the Netherlands being knocked out of the tournament by Morocco, who emerged victorious 3-2 on penalties.

In truth, it was a tough night for de Jong, who struggled up against Morocco’s strong midfield. Naturally, this led to him being the target of strong criticism from the Dutch press, with former player Rafael van de Vaart singling out the Barcelona man for criticism post-match – although he did recognise that it wasn’t entirely his fault, as per MD.

De Jong reacts to World Cup exit – “I feel empty inside”

In the aftermath of the elimination, de Jong himself spoke to the media. He also recognised that this match was made more difficult by the decision of former Barcelona head coach Ronald Koeman to line up with a two-man midfield, although his overriding emotion was disappointment.

“I feel empty inside. We played bad. We played with a numerical disadvantage in midfield. It was really difficult with only two midfielders. I’m disappointed, but that was the coach’s plan and we did our best to follow it. They had more possession of the ball.”