Barcelona captain ‘surprised’ by club’s pursuit of Ballon d’Or winner

Barcelona captain ‘surprised’ by club’s pursuit of Ballon d’Or winner Rodri’s potential move to Barcelona has been the talk of the town in Spain in recent weeks, and unsurprisingly so given how poetic it is for him to join a bulk of the Spanish national team dressing room immediately after winning the World Cup. It was, however, not always Barcelona’s plan to sign Rodri, as the Blaugrana were not even in the race to land him a few weeks ago. Real Madrid led the race for the Ballon d’Or winner for a long time and were reportedly close to landing the player they saw as a dream target. It all changed in one night, however, and Rodri handed Barcelona the green light to enter negotiations, prioritising them over Los Blancos . Captain left puzzled Rodri’s arrival is a massive boost for Barcelona’s midfield and an undeniable upgrade for the team’s engine. Rodri will likely take De Jong’s place. (Photo by Annabel Lee-Ellis/Getty Images) It does, however, directly affect the situation of certain players whom he threatens to displace from the XI. The biggest such aggrieved party is Frenkie de Jong. As relayed by The Touchline in an exclusive update, the Barcelona captain has been left puzzled by the club’s decision to go for the Manchester City star and does not understand the rationale behind the move. He is surprised by the development as he feels his starting spot and current role in the team will take a hit with Rodri’s arrival. He is currently injured, but he knows that the route back to the starting XI once he is fit will not be easy. Ironically, however, it is De Jong’s injury that is said to have acted as the turning point in the entire saga. It was only after that development that Barcelona began realistically considering the opportunity. A broken relationship Flick has lost trust in De Jong. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) Frenkie de Jong has had some memorable moments under Hansi Flick, but his relationship with the manager is not as pleasant as one would expect from the captain. The player prioritised his participation in the FIFA World Cup towards the business end of last season and sat out some crucial campaign-defining games for Barcelona at the time, all to ensure he was fit for his country. That did not go down well with Flick. Further, he played through injury and eventually aggravated his setback during the World Cup to the point where he is ruled out of the opening months of the new club season. The manager, needless to say, is furious at his decisions. In that sense, Flick no longer trusts De Jong and the trust between them is now broken. Signing Rodri thus appears to be a direct response to that development.