Is divisive Frenkie de Jong as good as Declan Rice & Vitinha? Ex-Netherlands star explains where Barcelona midfielder needs to improve after seeing him bite back at critics

Plenty are happy to put the classy 29-year-old in that category, as a lot of his best work can go unnoticed. He is not all-action, like Arsenal star Rice, or probing in possession such as Paris Saint-Germain and Portugal playmaker Vitinha.

He does, however, do a job for the collective cause and has said of those that continue to write him off - especially in his homeland: “I have the feeling that many people don’t understand anything about football. They watch it, but they don’t understand it, so to speak. That’s not a bad thing, because it allows everyone to talk about it, but it’s the truth.

“I hear people say that I don’t give through passes, but that’s not true. They’re just not paying attention to the game. It depends on the game, but also on the moment. You can play the through pass, but in some situations it will always end up at the goalkeeper. Yes, I think some people find it hard to understand it. Maybe I should sit with them sometime. It also depends on the moment itself. If someone runs or not, how is he running.

“I think that, in general, in the Netherlands we could value the players a little more. Of course, you can criticise if you think someone is not playing a good game. That’s okay and we don’t have any problem with it either. But it’s often so exaggerated by the people here.”

Quizzed on whether De Jong is underappreciated, as he quietly goes about his business, former Netherlands striker Hasselbaink - speaking on behalf of 10bet, who offer online football betting - told GOAL: “He is a very good player. He is one of the main Dutch players and very important to the Netherlands national team. Personally, I do think that he’s a little bit behind Declan Rice, but that might just be because I see Declan Rice week-in, week-out in England and I don’t see De Jong week-in, week-out.

“From what he has shown me in midfield at the World Cup so far, he sometimes he needs to move the ball a little quicker. He holds onto it a little bit too long for my liking. But look, he’s a top, top quality player who understands the game really, really well.”

De Jong is good enough to have spent the last seven years at Barcelona, making 297 appearances and collecting three La Liga titles during his time at Camp Nou. He has passed up opportunities to walk away from Catalunya.

Manchester United have made several plays for the Dutch schemer down the years, only to be left empty-handed. Has the best career call been made there? In response to that question, Hasselbaink - who graced the Premier League and La Liga in his playing days - added: “I think he’s an Ajax player at heart, and Ajax has always had a soft spot for Barcelona - those two clubs have that connection because of the Johan Cruyff history.

“So he was the main man at Ajax at a really young age, and he was always going to choose Barcelona. If you can make it at Barcelona, you’re always going to want to stay there as long as possible. Whatever club comes for you after that, it’s very difficult to find another step up or a bigger club. So I think for him, it was always going to be Barcelona.”

De Jong is currently on 2026 World Cup duty, with the Netherlands bursting into life during their second outing at that tournament. Having opened with a dramatic 2-2 draw against Japan, Brian Brobbey bagged a brace as Sweden were swept aside 5-1 last time out.

Progress to the last-32 is all-but secured, but top spot in Group F will be wrapped up if Tunisia can be overcome in Kansas City on Thursday. It remains to be seen how prominently De Jong figures in that contest as he has been nursing a minor injury and will want to take no unnecessary gambles on his fitness.