The Barcelona star reflected on his childhood memories of watching Messi dazzle under Pep Guardiola, admitting it was surreal to later share a dressing room and the pitch with his idol at Camp Nou.
De Jong said growing up, he regularly watched Blaugrana’s dominance and never imagined he would one day play alongside the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.
"For me, Messi is simply the perfect footballer. He's of course a completely different player from me, but I've always watched him more than anyone else,” De Jong told NOS.
“I was always watching a lot of Barcelona matches under Guardiola's leadership. I think that's the football I enjoyed more than any other.
“There were some players from that time whom I followed and looked up to as a fan, and whom I later got to play alongside. So for me, this is really something special.”