"He played like a postman" - Dutch legend Marco van Basten slams Barcelona star for his performance in recent national team fixture

Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has come in for a kicking from Dutch legend Marco van Basten after his latest performance for the Netherlands national team. Basten pulled no punches in his assessment, criticizing De Jong’s lack of urgency and creativity in midfield and saying he ‘played like a postman.’

The Netherlands put Finland to the sword 4-0 on Sunday, October 12, in their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign. De Jong retained his position in the starting lineup against the Eagles Owls, having also started the previous qualifier against Malta. He played the entirety of the match and had a fairly average outing.

Speaking on Ziggo Sport, Van Basten was ‘disappointed’ that De Jong didn’t ‘quickly move the ball from defense to attack’ and urged him to take a leaf out of club teammate Pedri’s playbook.

"Well, I think Frenkie de Jong made few forward passes. He played like a postman,” Van Bastenasaid. “He was expected to speed up the game. In fact, he disappointed me a little because his role was supposed to be to quickly move the ball from defence to attack. I was struck by the fact that he didn't do that at all in this match. Frenkie really lacked that. It's a shame, because he's a good player who has good vision to make forward passes. Pedri plays faster and takes more risks in attack; that's what you expect from Frenkie."

Fellow Dutch icon Ruud Gullit also weighed in, claiming that De Jong is more productive when playing for Barcelona.

“At Barcelona, De Jong is more productive, but with the national team, everything seems slower,” said Gullit.

Despite the criticism, the 28-year-old is expected to return to action for Barcelona this weekend, as he is set to put pen to paper on a new deal after agreeing to a new contract with the club.

“I see him train and I see him play’ – Marc Bernal on Barcelona teammate Frenkie de Jong

Frenkie De Jong has come under fire recently for a dip in form, especially among Barcelona fans. The Dutch midfielder has seen his time at the Catalan club marred by injuries and inconsistency. In a recent interview with Catalan daily Ara, Marc Bernal was asked about the criticism aimed at De Jong, to which he responded:

“I think that everything that is said about him is a complete lie. Criticism? I see him train and I see him play, and it’s a pass. And it’s not just me, we’ve talked about it with some of our teammates, who in the first few days were promoted to the first team and he was the one who surprised us the most.”

De Jong has made eight appearances for Barca in the current campaign but has registered only one assist across competitions.

Edited by Ezekiel Olamide