How De Ligt and De Jong became footballing twins

Updated: 7 Jul 2022 15:26 BST
4 min read

De Ligt, De Jong, Netherlands, 2021-22 — © ProShots

Both Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt are linked with moves away this year, and it’s another addition to their story, with the pair making moves at the same time almost every time.

De Jong is seemingly on the fringes at Barcelona: although the club insist they wish to keep him, he is frequently linked with a move away, with Manchester United and, more recently, Chelsea, interested in him.

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For De Ligt, it’s been a rollercoaster few years at Juventus, and he is also in talks for a move away, with Bayern Munich and Chelsea looking to get him, and the Bavarians are in with a better chance.

The two players’ have taken different paths since leaving Ajax, but both have quite similar stories, and that would continue should they both make moves this summer.

De Jong and De Ligt have had identical careers

It all started for the pair in a KNVB Cup match against Willem II in September 2016: Ajax won 5-0, with both De Jong and De Ligt making their senior professional starts for Ajax, which was the latter’s full debut.

De Jong only moved to Ajax in the previous year for a paltry €1 fee going to Willem II, plus 10 percent of any future sales – which turned out to be a great deal for them following the midfielder’s massive move to Barcelona.

Frenkie de Jong and Ajax on that memorable night against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.

At the base of Erik ten Hag’s Ajax midfield, De Jong was something else.

Here is the #MUFC target selling Modric some candy and flooring Vinicius.pic.twitter.com/JGcf0wCHPq
— Sacha Pisani (@Sachk0) June 28, 2022

De Ligt, meanwhile, is Ajax through and through, join the club as a child and going through all their age groups before making his senior debut.

In that very season, both players were involved in Peter Bosz’s brilliant Ajax team that reached the Europa League final – the first time the club played in a European final since 1996.

They ended up losing to Manchester United, but for the pair, the suitors were lining up, especially for De Ligt, who had a big role in that run at the age of 17.

In the years that followed, the pair’s value continued to grow – they both became Dutch internationals, with De Jong earning plaudits for his performances with them in the Nations League of 2018.

It was clear that for the years to come, both would become the spine of the Dutch national team and for as long as they were there, at Ajax, where Erik ten Hag was building something special.

In a team along with other De Toekomst talents like Andre Onana, Noussair Mazraoui and Donny van de Beek as well as shrewd signings like Dusan Tadic, Daley Blind and Nicholas Tagliafico, the two thrived.

The Champions League run of 2018-19 was the pinnacle, and by January of 2019, De Jong had agreed a deal to move to Barcelona later that year, earning a mammoth €86 million move.

Ajax reached the semi-finals that year, with De Ligt scoring in the quarter-final against Juventus and the sour semi-final second leg against Tottenham.

Soon, he would earn a move too: going to Juventus for a fee of €85.5 million, including add-ons, as he was placed second – behind De Jong – as Ajax’s most expensive sale.

If you can't beat em, sign em - Juventus & De Ligt style 📝pic.twitter.com/wNdV9mJo97
— GOAL (@goal) April 16, 2021

After three years at their respective clubs, both could move again in 2022, and it comes after similar careers while away from Ajax as well.

Both Juventus and Barcelona lost their stranglehold on their domestic trophies, lost the two biggest stars in football, failed to succeed in Europe and had their fair share of financial struggle, although the Catalan club had it worse.

Now, the pair could reunite in England, possibly even at the same club if they both end up at Chelsea, and maybe they can look toward an upward trajectory in their careers.