De Jong hoping to continue Cruyff's legacy at Barcelona after completing move from Ajax

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Playing at Camp Nou was a childhood dream for the young midfielder, who follows in the footsteps of Cruyff and a host of Ajax legends

New Barcelona signing Frenkie de Jong will take inspiration from famous predecessors such as the late Johan Cruyff as he looks to settle in to life at Camp Nou.Â

De Jong, 22, became the latest in a long line of players to make the jump from Ajax to Barcelona as he completed a move that had been agreed earlier this year.Â

On Friday the Netherlands international was presented at Camp Nou to fans and the media, and stepped on the famous pitch for the first time decked in a Blaugrana shirt.Â

As well as Cruyff, the likes of Johan Neeskens, Ronald Koeman, Frank and Ronald de Boer, Patrick Kluivert and Marc Overmars have represented the Spanish and Dutch giants - a legacyÂ that De Jong is hoping to do justice.

"We have always had a great connection due to Cruyff's philosophy, Ajax and Barcelona want to play in a similar way and this is fantastic," De Jong told reporters at his presentation.Â

"This has always been a dream for me since I was small and when I saw it was happening for real it was an easy decisions for me."

De Jong greeted the Camp Nou faithful in Spanish, telling fans he was "very happy and proud to be here, I can't wait to get started."

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And he went on to highlight the importance of Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu in pushing the deal through.Â

"There were a lot of clubs interested in me and it is a normal process when making a decision, you think of all the options and which is best," he added.Â

"Barcelona convinced me with a great plan, the other clubs had good plans too but the decision was not easy because a lot of clubs were telling me things and there were moments where I was unclear.Â

"But when the president came to Netherlands I was convinced, my arrival is down to him."

And while De Jong is still at the beginning of his career at the highest level, his part in Ajax's demolition of Real Madrid in this year's Champions League may have already endeared him to Barca supporters.

"It was very nice, all the Barcelona guys congratulated me and even the president congratulated me... it was all very kind," he revealed.

2019-07-05 23:00:02

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