Frenkie de Jong makes history at Barcelona

The midfielder made his 293rd competitive appearance for the club, moving past Phillip Cocu, who had held the record on 292 games from his spell between 1998 and 2004. It makes De Jong the most-capped Dutch player in Barcelona's history.

The milestone was confirmed late in the match when De Jong came off the bench in the 73rd minute, replacing Dani Olmo. By stepping onto the pitch, he officially moved ahead of Cocu in the record books.

After the game, team-mate Pedri paid tribute to the midfielder's achievement.

"I'd like to offer Frenkie de Jong my congratulations for being the Dutchman with the most matches at Barcelona," Pedri said. "I think it's an accomplishment that doesn't happen every day, and I'm very happy that he's with us, and I hope he can continue to play many more matches."

Since joining from Ajax in 2019, De Jong has become a key figure at the club, now also serving as one of the team captains. In that time, he has helped Barcelona win seven trophies and remains an important part of their push for another La Liga title this season.

His achievement also highlights the long history of Dutch influence at the club, with legends such as Johan Cruyff, Ronald Koeman, Frank de Boer, Patrick Kluivert and Johan Neeskens all leaving their mark at Camp Nou.

Barcelona marked the occasion by inviting Cocu and Koeman to the presidential box for the match against Celta Vigo, underlining the significance of the record.

De Jong's season has not been without setbacks, as a calf injury at the end of February kept him out for around six weeks and caused him to miss nine matches. Despite that, his consistency and importance to the team have remained clear, now backed by a record that places him ahead of some of the club's great Dutch names.

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