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Barcelona World Cup Spotlight: Frenkie de Jong’s masterful display for the Netherlands
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is in full swing, with many Barcelona players in action for their respective nations.
Last night saw yet another excellent set of games, with the Netherlands kicking off proceedings with a 5-1 win over Sweden.
Germany then edged Ivory Coast 2-1 in a game that did not seem to be going one way or the other until the very end.
Ecuador kept attacking at every possible opportunity, but Curaçao’s Room shut the door in goal and made 15 saves to keep the score at 0-0.
Japan and Tunisia also played out a fascinating game, which the Asian side comfortably dominated.
Frenkie de Jong was the only Barça player in action last night, and here is how he fared against Sweden.
Frenkie de Jong vs Sweden
The midfielder started for Ronald Koeman’s side in their 5-1 win, playing 59 minutes before being replaced by Teun Koopmeiners.
He was an injury doubt coming into the game, having suffered an injury after a collision with Quinten Timber in training.
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De Jong started and starred for the Netherlands. (Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images)
Koeman admitted that the Barça midfielder might not have been 100 percent, but he was still good enough to start.
Frenkie did not score or assist, but this was still a very useful performance from a Barcelona point of view.
His job was to give the Dutch midfield rhythm, help them move away from Sweden’s pressure and release the ball quickly into the wide areas.
Cody Gakpo and Brian Brobbey will naturally take most of the attention after combining for four of the five Dutch goals, but Frenkie’s role in the first hour should not be overlooked.
He helped the Netherlands play with calmness before the match became stretched. There were still moments when Sweden found space after the break, and the Netherlands were not perfect defensively.
From a Barcelona perspective, this was a positive night. Frenkie got minutes, helped set the tone, avoided a full 90-minute strain and watched his team make a statement.
But by then, the damage had already been done, and Koeman could afford to protect one of his most important midfielders.
It was a masterful midfield display from one of Barça’s own, and it was incredible to see it unfold.
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