Former Real Madrid star criticises Barcelona midfielder after 1-1 draw vs Napoli: “Plays like a postman”

Barcelona failed to take advantage of their domination over Napoli as they were held to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie.

Robert Lewandowski and Victor Osimhen were on target for their respective clubs in a game that Barça controlled for large parts but failed to kill off.

There were a lot of positives to take home for Xavi Hernandez, with Lewandowski carrying his goalscoring form forward and Frenkie de Jong putting in a good shift in midfield.

However, it appears that the latter’s performance was not to everyone’s liking as former Real Madrid and Netherlands star Rafael van der Vaart was critical of De Jong.

Speaking on Ziggo Sport (h/t Mundo Deportivo) after the match, the former Dutch playmaker went on to take a dig at his compatriot, claiming that he holds on to the ball for too long and does not pass it quickly enough.

Van der Vaart was critical of De Jong. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

“Frenkie de Jong plays football like a postman. He takes too long to pass the ball forward, instead, he keeps on running and taking it to his teammate,” said Van der Vaart.

“Once you get away from your opponent, you have to keep the ball moving and pass the ball!”

De Jong had been under the spotlight heading into the game after his explosive pre-match press conference during which he called out the media for spreading ‘lies’ about his contract and future at Barcelona.

It was important that the Dutchman back it up with a solid performance on the pitch and it is exactly what he did against Napoli, despite how Van der Vaart sees things.

However, the Netherlands star did pick up a yellow card in the first period which now leaves him at risk of getting suspended for a hypothetical quarter-final, if he is booked in the second leg vs Napoli.