René van der Gijp lauds Frenkie de Jong’s Valencia display

René van der Gijp declares that he has witnessed Frenkie de Jong perform actions he never saw from Zinedine Zidane, pointing to a Valencia match where de Jong recorded 120 ball contacts, sprinted 30 metres and bypassed four opponents, as discussed on the Studio Oranje podcast. Van der Gijp recalls watching de Jong in Spain and telling former teammate Wilfred Genee that the Dutch midfielder was the best he had ever seen. He said the performances set a new benchmark for midfield play. He contrasts de Jong’s goal output with that of Andrés Iniesta and Xavi Hernández, noting that the Spanish duo scored frequently while de Jong rarely finds the net. Van der Gijp suggests physical discomfort may explain the disparity. De Jong has recently suffered knee trouble and previously dealt with ankle pain, he argues, could limit his ability to replicate his peak displays.

Frenkie de Jong’s patience under pressure explained at Sweden clash

In the Valencia fixture, de Jong touched the ball 120 times, drove the ball forward each time, and covered thirty metres while evading four defenders. Van der Gijp described the sequence as something he had never witnessed from any midfielder. Rob Jansen agrees, calling the praise the biggest compliment a player can receive because media criticism appears when performance dips. He labels the acknowledgment a “mega‑compliment.” Van der Gijp even likens de Jong’s moments to those of Zinedine Zidane, insisting he has seen actions no midfielder, Zidane included, has performed. The only criticism he offers is the inconsistency across nine of ten games. The discussion appears on the latest Studio Oranje episode, which also covers topics such as Malen, Lionel Messi and Milan Makkelie. Listeners can hear the full conversation about de Jong’s extraordinary skill.