At a time when a goal, an assist, or a short video on social media is often enough to shape the public’s opinion of a soccer player, Frenkie de Jong decided to raise a different question: How many of those who judge a player actually watch the entire game?
The 29-year-old Barcelona midfielder gave an interview to ESPN Netherlands and took a particularly pointed stance on the criticism he receives, pointing out that a soccer player’s contribution cannot be measured solely by his statistics.
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BARÇA | 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗞𝗜𝗘 𝗗𝗘 𝗝𝗢𝗡𝗚
𝗥𝗘́𝗣𝗢𝗡𝗗 𝗔̀ 𝗖𝗘𝗨𝗫 𝗤𝗨𝗜 𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗦𝗢𝗡 𝗝𝗘𝗨 𝗘𝗧 𝗟𝗘 𝗝𝗨𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗦𝗨𝗥 𝗦𝗘𝗦 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗦 « 𝗝𝗘 𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗘 𝗤𝗨𝗘 𝗟𝗘𝗦 𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗦 𝗡𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗚𝗔𝗥𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗣𝗔𝗦 𝗩𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗟𝗘𝗦 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛𝗦. Il y a très peu de personnes qui regardent un match de football pendant 90 minutes.
Et même parmi ceux qui regardent les 90 minutes, 𝗖𝗘𝗥𝗧𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗦 𝗡𝗘 𝗩𝗢𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗣𝗔𝗦 𝗩𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗖𝗘 𝗤𝗨𝗜 𝗦𝗘 𝗣𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗘 𝗦𝗨𝗥 𝗟𝗘 𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗡. Ils ne voient pas pourquoi les joueurs prennent certaines décisions, ce qu’est réellement une bonne action ou une bonne passe. 𝗟𝗘 𝗣𝗟𝗨𝗦 𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗜𝗟𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝗟𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗢𝗧𝗕𝗔𝗟𝗟, 𝗖’𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗗𝗘 𝗝𝗨𝗚𝗘𝗥 𝗦𝗨𝗥 𝗟𝗘𝗦 𝗕𝗨𝗧𝗦 𝗘𝗧 𝗟𝗘𝗦 𝗣𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗦 𝗗𝗘́𝗖𝗜𝗦𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗦… Et dans mon cas, j’en ai forcément beaucoup moins. »
@espn
“People don’t really watch the games. Very few watch the entire 90 minutes. Even those who do often don’t understand what’s happening on the field—why a player makes a particular decision or what actually constitutes a good play,” he noted.
The Dutchman didn’t just focus on how matches are watched, but also on the criteria by which public opinion is formed. “The easiest way to evaluate a soccer player is to see if he scores or provides assists. Obviously, my numbers in those categories are much lower. But if you really watch me play, you can tell whether I’m a good soccer player or not,” he added.
*photo source: AP
