De Jong admits he 'doesn't know how to stop' Messi ahead of quarter final

Frenkie de Jong has admitted that he doesn't know how to stop Lionel Messi and says his Holland team will have to find a way to keep the Argentine maestro quiet in Friday's World Cup quarter-final clash.

The Dutch midfielder played alongside the Argentine maestro at the Nou Camp for two seasons, before Messi's shocking move to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2021.

De Jong has revealed that there is no secret plan to stop Messi, as his Holland side look to end Messi's dreams of lifting the World Cup

As reported by ESPN, De Jong, when asked if he knows how to keep Messi quiet, responded: 'Well, no. I know him, but I don't know how to stop him.

'He's been making the difference for 15 years and there is not one way to stop him.

'Usually he would still make the difference during training too. We just have to stop him as a team.

'We haven't texted each other. I am not planning to. We will see each other on Friday.'

At the age of 35, Messi has been one of the stars of the tournament, scoring three goals to help Argentina reach the quarter-final stage.

Messi is perhaps as motivated as anyone in Qatar, with this his final chance to add the World Cup to his illustrious CV.

While De Jong might not have a plan, Dutch boss Louis van Gaal seemed to have an idea of how to stop Messi when asked about the superstar in his press conference ahead of Friday's game.

He said: 'Messi is the most dangerous creative player, he is able to create a lot and to score goals himself.

'But when they lose the ball he doesn't participate much, this gives us chances.'

Holland are one of the only unbeaten teams in the tournament having finished top of their group which included Qatar, Senegal and Ecuador, while also beating the United States 3-1 to reach this stage of the tournament.

Argentina recovered from a stunning defeat to Saudi Arabia to see off Poland and Mexico to finish top of their group, before beating Australia 2-1 to set up an exciting clash with Holland.