I Was Never Messi’s Replacement At Barcelona – Luuk de Jong

Netherlands striker, Luuk de Jong has come out to admit that he took Lionel Messi’s seat in the Barcelona dressing room when he joined the club. He recently had his say while speaking to the press, and fans have been reacting.

According to him, however, he was never signed as the Argentine’s replacement because no footballer can fill the boots of the all-time great in Catalunya.

Luuk added that he was brought in as a target man and he did his job by scoring some important goals.

His words, “That was very strange. Of course I was not brought in as his direct replacement. No-one can replace that man. I came there as a target man. But I was actually sitting at his place in the dressing room. That was nice.

I scored some important goals, mostly headers. At one point they sang my name at Camp Nou at every corner or free-kick. You wouldn’t think it gets better than that. I am very proud of that.”

WOW.

Futbol Club Barcelona, commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça, is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football.

Founded in 1899 by a group of Swiss, Catalan, German, and English footballers led by Joan Gamper, the club has become a symbol of Catalan culture and Catalanism, hence the motto “Més que un club” (“More than a club”). Unlike many other football clubs, the supporters own and operate Barcelona.

There is often a fierce rivalry between the two strongest teams in a national league, and this is particularly the case in La Liga, where the game between Barcelona and Real Madrid is known as “The Classic” (El Clásico).

From the start of national competitions the clubs were seen as representatives of two rival regions in Spain: Catalonia and Castile, as well as of the two cities. The rivalry reflects what many regard as the political and cultural tensions felt between Catalans and the Castilians, seen by one author as a re-enactment of the Spanish Civil War. Over the years, the head-to-head record between the two clubs is 102 victories for Madrid, 100 victories for Barcelona, and 52 draws.