Frenkie de Jong Discusses Growing Up Watching Pep Guardiola's Barcelona Team Following Summer Move

Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong has stated that one of his favourite teams to watch as a child was the incredible Barcelona side managed by Pep Guardiola.

Having recently signed with the Spanish giants for £67.5m from Ajax, De Jong revealed some of his earliest memories of the Catalan club.

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The highly-rated midfielder just finished his first week at the club and gave an exclusive interview to Sport English where he spoke a range of topics which included the dressing room at Barca as well as his Dutch teammate and best friend Matthijs de Ligt's transfer to Juventus.

Speaking about his early memories of the La Liga champions and especially Pep Guardiola's side, de Jong stated: "I always loved to watch them," and considered Ajax and Barcelona legend Johan Cruyff as one of the biggest influencers for both of the clubs he made his name at.

Guardiola's Barcelona outfit was one of the greatest ever featuring the likes of Lionel Messi, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Carles Puyol at their peak. They were the first-ever Spanish team to win the treble in 2009 and lifted 14 trophies out of a possible 19 during Guardiola's tenure.

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De Jong comes to the Blaugrana as their sixth most expensive signing ahead of the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Ronaldinho after an outstanding season for both Ajax and the Dutch national team.

He was an instrumental player in Ajax securing a domestic double and a Champions League run to the semi-finals; a run in during which he earned his mega money move to Barca.

His elegant style, crisp passing and superb pressing means he ticks a lot of the boxes Barca require in a player