Barcelona Lose El Clasico but De Jong Returns After 155 Days Out

Barcelona lost El Clasico 2-1 to Real Madrid, but the painful defeat brought one piece of relief for the Catalan side: Frenkie de Jong is back on the pitch, playing in a Barcelona shirt again after 155 days out.

Head coach Hansi Flick sent De Jong on in the 74th minute as a substitute for Fermin Lopez. The Nou Camp crowd gave the Netherlands midfielder a warm reception as he came on.

The score was level at 1-1 at the time. Flick brought De Jong on to add fresh energy in midfield, but Barcelona could not make it count and conceded late in a closely fought match to lose.

De Jong tore the medial collateral ligament in his right knee on 23 July 2026, an injury that ruled him out for several months. Before the injury, he had played for the Netherlands at the World Cup.

Although Barcelona lost, De Jong’s return is a relief for the team, and his fitness and match rhythm are expected to build as he gets more minutes.