“He’s a world-class player with high quality” - Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong opens up on plans to stop Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr in El Classico 

Barcelona captain Frenkie de Jong has lavished praise on Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior ahead of the El Clasico on Saturday (October 26). The Dutch midfielder has urged caution from his teammates while facing the Brazilian.

Vinicius was in exceptional form for Los Blancos last season, scoring 24 goals and providing 11 assists in 39 appearances across all competitions. He played a crucial role in Real Madrid's LaLiga and Champions League triumphs.

The 24-year-old seems the frontrunner to win the 2024 Ballon d'Or award for his exploits last term. However, he faces competition from Rodri, who won the Euros with Spain and the Premier League with Manchester City.

Vinicius has had an excellent start to this season as well. He is up by eight goals and seven assists already and the Brazilian will certainly be determined to add to those numbers against Barcelona this weekend.

Speaking to reporters ahead of their top-of-the-table clash, De Jong was asked how they plan to keep the Real Madrid superstar at bay. The Barca captain said (via Barca Universal):

“We’ll see, we’ll see. We need to stop him as a team, but he’s a fantastic player. He’s performing really well. Last season he had an amazing season. This season so far he’s performing brilliantly. I think he’s a world-class player with high quality. We need to be careful with him, but they have many other fantastic players.”

Barcelona currently lead the LaLiga standings by three points, with Real Madrid trailing in second.

“I know I’ve been out for a long time" - Barcelona captain opens up about spell on the sidelines ahead of Real Madrid clash

Frenkie de Jong has opened up about his five-month spell on the sidelines and his fitness ahead of this weekend's El Clasico.

The Dutch midfielder returned to action at the start of the month in Barcelona's 5-0 Champions League win over Young Boys. De Jong had suffered an ankle injury in last season's El Clasico which took place in April.

Speaking in the aforementioned interview, De Jong spoke about his return from injury and said:

“I’m happy to be back. I feel stronger every week now. It’s been a long process, but I’m very excited for Saturday’s match."

When asked about the likelihood of him featuring in the starting XI against Real Madrid, the 27-year-old replied:

“I know I’ve been out for a long time. I’ve just returned to playing a bit, but this won’t depend only on me and how I feel, but also on the coach’s decision.

"As I said, I feel better every week. I feel I’m getting back to where I was physically. But this needs minutes, matches, and training. It’s just about playing lots of football, and then I’ll be back to my best.”

Frenkie de Jong has represented Barcelona 216 times, recording 17 goals and 21 assists.