Frenkie de Jong’s four-year wait for glory feels like an eternity

Frenkie de Jong has used a public message to address the Netherlands’ World Cup exit, admitting the defeat to Morocco still weighs heavily on him. The Barcelona midfielder took to Instagram just days after Oranje’s elimination to share his raw reaction to the tournament’s end.

In a candid post, De Jong described the knot in his stomach and the lingering sense of disappointment as unchanged since the match. ‘Now, a few days after the game, the knot in my stomach and the feeling of disappointment remain the same,’ he wrote.

He acknowledged the weight of representing the Netherlands, framing the defeat as a failure to meet both personal and national expectations. ‘It is a huge honour and a great responsibility to play for the Netherlands. When we cannot live up to our own expectations and those of the people, the disappointment is even greater,’ he stated.

Yet De Jong insists the focus must shift to recovery and rebuilding. ‘Four years of waiting for another chance to bring the first world title to the Netherlands feels like an eternity,’ he admitted. ‘But we will use the coming time to come back stronger together, so that at the next major tournaments we can meet both our own expectations and those of our fans.’

The midfielder closed by thanking supporters for their unwavering backing. ‘Thank you for all the support. It was incredible and we definitely felt it,’ he added.

His words arrive as Oranje look to regroup after an underwhelming World Cup campaign in North America.

De Jong’s message underscores the personal toll of falling short on the global stage, while signalling a collective resolve to reset ahead of the next cycle.