A section of Barcelona fans booed Frenkie de Jong during the friendly match against Al-Ahly for the Joan Gamper Trophy, following allegations made by journalist Gerard Romero that the player firmly denied.
A section of Barcelona fans booed Frenkie de Jong on Wednesday as the midfielder took to the field during the friendly match against Al-Ahly for the Joan Gamper Trophy. Whistles rang out around the stadium in Barcelona as the announcer read out De Jong's name.
The Dutch international showed no sign of being affected by the reaction from part of the crowd and joined his teammates without any visible unease. The fans' response is linked to reports from Spanish journalist Gerard Romero.
Romero reported last season that De Jong had refused to play against Atlético Madrid in the Champions League and that his relationship with coach Hansi Flick was strained. De Jong firmly denied both claims on Barcelona's club channel.
"Gerard Romero reported, and he himself started all of this, that I refused to play against Atlético in the Champions League last year. That is not true. It simply isn't accurate."
The Dutchman also addressed the claims about a poor relationship with the coach.
"Romero said that my relationship with the coach is very bad. But none of that is true. My relationship with him is actually very good."
De Jong suffered a knee injury after the World Cup and is still trying to fully recover. It is not known when the midfielder will be ready to play again for the Spanish champions.
The article about the booing was published on August 19, 2026, and was written by Ricardo Larreina Amador.
