One of the many ‘wow’ moments in Ajax performance against Real Madrid on Tuesday night came 10 minutes into the first half.
Twenty-one-year-old Frenkie de Jong clattered shoulder-to-shoulder into Vinicius, came away with the ball at his feet; showed Luka Modric a two-touch shuffle that left him – now, like Vinicius, on the turf – raced 30 feet forward into the Madrid half and just as he was about to be scythed down by either Raphael Varane or the covering Dani Carvajal, released the ball to a team-mate.
The only supporters who enjoyed it more than the Ajax followers were the Barcelona ones. De Jong’s Barcelona career couldn’t have started any better and he hasn’t even worn the shirt yet.