"He is the player who has surprised me the most," the star loved by everyone at Barcelona

For almost two decades Barcelona's most important player was Lionel Messi. He enamored fans around the world with his dribbling, goals and assists, and led the team to many successes, such as the 2009, 2011 and 2015 Champions League titles. He also became the player with the most games, goals, assists and titles in the club's history.

It is therefore not surprising that his departure in 2021 to Paris Saint-Germain has left a void difficult to fill at Barcelona. In fact, Ansu Fati wore it for two seasons until his departure to Brighton & Hove Albion and it has been vacant ever since.

One of the consequences of this is that it is now unclear who is the most important player in the squad. Some choose Robert Lewandowski because of his experience and the number of goals he has scored. Others prefer stars who have shone at other clubs but not yet at Barcelona, such as Ilkay Gundogan and Joao Felix. Still others choose the team's youngsters, such as Pedri, Gavi and Lamine Yamal.

However, the squad's players have their favorite: Frenkie De Jong. The Dutch midfielder is the choice of most of his teammates, mainly for his quality, intelligence and winning mentality. That's why he's been a key piece in Xavi´s team since the coach arrived in 2021.

What do they say?

Ilkay Gundogan assured when he arrived at Barcelona that the player he most wanted to play with was Frenkie De Jong. "He is the player who has surprised me the most," said Joao Felix. "He is one of the best midfielders in Europe. He is leading the team and you have to make these players feel comfortable," said Oriol Romeu. And Gavi also pointed out: "I was afraid when it looked like De Jong was leaving".