Official: Frenkie de Jong named Barcelona men’s player of the season

As confirmed on the club’s official website, Frenkie de Jong has been named Barcelona’s Best Men’s Player of the Season for 2020/21 at the Premi Barca Jugadors (Barça Players’ Award).

The prize is awarded by the Barça Players’ Association to a first-team player from Barcelona who has shown most fair play over the course of a season. The decision is made by way of a public vote, before the final choice is made by a panel of experts.

Previous recipients of the award include elite names like Carles Puyol, Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi, among others. And now Frenkie de Jong has also joined the list for the 2020/21 season, along with Aitana Bonmati of FC Barcelona Femeni.

Over 5,000 fans across the world voted to narrow down the list of finalists to Frenkie de Jong, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and club captain Lionel Messi. And, the jury, headed by Barcelona vice-president, Rafael Yuste and the president of the Association, Ramon Alfonseda met at Camp Nou on Tuesday named the Netherlands international as the winner of the award.

The jury highlighted De Jong’s commitment to the club and the city of Barcelona ever since he arrived from AFC Ajax in the summer of 2019 as a reason for his selection. It further lauded the 24-year-old for his attitude and humility, for willing to play in whichever position the manager asked him to do over the course of the campaign.

After a fairly solid debut season in Catalonia, De Jong stepped up in a massive way during the 2020/21 campaign. The 24-year-old, along with Messi, was one of Barcelona’s best players in the season gone by.

De Jong finished the campaign with a solid return of seven goals and eight assists from 51 matches in all competitions. And as highlighted by the jury, he did a fine job playing in midfield or as a centre-back, doing what was needed for the team, making him a well-deserved recipient of the prestigious award.