'He is by far the best' - De Jong backs Messi to win Ballon d'Or

Frenkie de Jong will make his La Liga debut tonight with Barça in San Mamés. Before its premiere, the Dutch midfielder granted an interview with La Vanguardia in which he talks about his feelings and explains what are the things to improve and makes it clear that he is not afraid of the competition that exists in Barça to win a place in the midfield.

With only 22 years old, Frenkie de Jong admits that there are many aspects that he still need to improve:

 “The long distance pass, for example. Also increase the number of decisive passes, score more goals, although it is not the main feature of my game ... ”, details the midfielder.

Regarding the feelings he has after a month working with his new teammates, De Jong explains that “the connection with the team is very good. The partners help me a lot. ”

“The chemistry in the team is really good, in the locker room, and that is a good start. If I learn the language fast, it may be even better for me, ”he added.

De Jong feels ready to fight for a spot in the midfield despite the great competition. 

“I'm not afraid of that. It is normal when you sign for Barcelona, there is a lot of competition. I knew it before coming and if I had been afraid I would not have signed. Here we are a series of top midfielders and only three can play. I will try to make sure I am one of the chosen ones, ”he said.

Among the good chemistry inside the locker room, De Jong admits that he is delighted by Barça's DNA. “I think I have good football harmony with all the players without distinction, although I recognize the so-called Barça DNA because it is very clear and because it has some similarity with what we did in Ajax.

" I really like that style of course. I hope we can show it to people in every game and play nice. Winning titles of course, but when you play at Barça or Ajax you need to play well, in the manner of Cruyff, because it is part of the club, ”he says.

De Jong admits his surprise at being among the ten nominees for The Best Mens Player award granted by FIFA. “I honestly didn't expect to be there, it was a surprise. Of course it honors me, but for me it is not a big issue.

" I think the Ballon d'Or is bigger than the ‘The Best’. In addition, Messi will win it, he deserves it and any other winner would miss me, ”says De Jong, no matter how much one of the candidates is Van Dijk, his national teammate. "It's great, but you can't compare it to Messi, which is by far the best," he emphasizes.