De Jong remains opposed to Barça Miami game

Frenkie de Jong stands by comments opposing Barcelona's game against Villarreal being played in Miami but accepts players have to play where they are told.

The Barça midfielder said last week that he did not like LaLiga's decision to take the fixture to the U.S., criticising more travel and acknowledging that playing an away game on neutral territory distorts the competition.

Barça president Joan Laporta said he "respected" De Jong's opinion but that the possibility of growing in the North American market made the proposal a good one for the club.

"Yes, I still think what I said and that hasn't changed," De Jong said at an event on Wednesday to mark signing a new contract with the Catalan club until 2029.

"But we're players and at the end of the day we have to play wherever."

LaLiga have been trying to relocate a league fixture to the U.S. since 2017 and, following approval from the Royal Spanish Football Federation [RFEF] and UEFA in recent months, last week announced Villarreal's home fixture will be played at the Hard Rock Stadium on Dec. 20.

If the game goes ahead as planned, it will be the first domestic fixture from one of Europe's big five leagues to be played on foreign soil.

De Jong, meanwhile, has extended his relationship with Barça by an additional three years after signing a contract extension this week.

Sources told ESPN that his new terms are on slightly reduced terms, given the manner of his previous deal signed during the pandemic, which was backloaded to help Barça get through a tricky financial period.

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As his salary increased again, the club were open to offers for the Dutch international, with Manchester United keen on signing him in 2022.

However, De Jong has always expressed his desire to remain in Barcelona and says the reports about his wages have always been overstated.

"I won't say what I earn, but a lot has always been said about it and the numbers have always been exaggerated," he said.

"It was never what was reported. That has affected how some people have viewed me because they read in the papers that I am the top paid player -- that's your fault [the media]!"

A €75 million ($86.86m) signing from Ajax in 2019, De Jong is now in his seventh season at Barça, where he has made over 250 appearances under five different managers.

During that time, he has won six trophies, including two LaLiga titles, but he is hungry to add the Champions League to his honours.

"As a kid I dreamed of playing for Barcelona and now I am fulfilling that dream," he added. "I want to stay here as long as possible and win many trophies. I feel good with the club, in the city and with my teammates and the board.

"Hopefully I can reach 10 years here [when the contract expires]. And hopefully I can conquer a lot more things here. Of course I didn't win the Champions League here yet in Barcelona. That is a big goal for us."