Recent signing Frenkie de Jong is the “perfect player” for Barcelona, according to compatriot and former Camp Nou striker Patrick Kluivert.
The 21-year-old Dutch midfielder has emerged this season at Ajax as one of world football’s brightest prospects, prompting the Spanish club last month to pay an initial €75 million (Dh314.7m) for his services. De Jong returned to Ajax until the end of the current campaign and will join up with his new side from July 1.
Kluivert knows the player well, having watched De Jong excel in both the Ajax academy and for the club’s senior team alongside son Justin, before the latter transferred last summer to Serie A side Roma.
Speaking about De Jong on a recent trip to the UAE in his role as a LaLiga ambassador, Kluivert said: “He offers a lot of joy for the people because he is a very good player. He’s 21 now and I’ve known him for quite some time having played with my son in Ajax youth.
“You could see his strength and way of handling the ball. When he receives the ball he already knows where to play it, and he always looks for passes for other midfielders or strikers, so when he has the ball in his feet he is very quick.
“He is a great signing for Barcelona, and he will let the fans enjoy the way Barcelona loves to play. He is the perfect player to join them.”
Kluivert representing Barcelona with distinction from 1998 to 2004, scoring 123 goals and helping the club secure the 1998/99 Primera Liga title.
Barcelona are favourites for the top-flight crown this season, since they sit top of the table by six points after 25 matches. Atletico Madrid represent their closest challengers, with Real Madrid are two points further back in third.
While the league title looks unlikely, Real will aim to strike a blow in Barcelona’s bid for three trophies – the Catalan club face Lyon this month in the last 16 of the Uefa Champions League – when the two meet on Wednesday night in the first leg of the Copa Del Rey semi-final.
Having faced Madrid many times during his spell in Spain – he scored the equaliser in a 2-1 Barcelona win at the Bernabeu in 2004 – Kluivert understands exactly what is at stake.
“I’ve played in quite a few leagues, but el clasico is the game that changed the world,” said the former Ajax, AC Milan, Newcastle United and Lille forward.
“I played for AC Milan and Ajax – you name it – but el clasico is a game that everybody knows.
“If you say it here or in the other end of the world, everybody knows. If you play that game, weeks in advance the media is building up the game and it’s fantastic to take part in that game. You ask any fan in Spain they will die to go and watch the game.
“A game like el clasico, you either have your moment or you don’t. And, if you don’t have your moment, then there’s a problem.”
Asked for his favourite memory from facing Madrid, Kluivert said: “Winning, of course. Winning at the Bernabeu and scoring there is the best thing that I remember.
“It’s quite amazing because the rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona is enormous, but also respectful because you see both teams play and that at the end they shake hands.
"There are a lot of national team players that play in the same team. So they have to be friends. But during el clasico they’re enemies.”
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
First-round leaderbaord
-5 C Conners (Can)
-3 B Koepka (US), K Bradley (US), V Hovland (Nor), A Wise (US), S Horsfield (Eng), C Davis (Aus);
-2 C Morikawa (US), M Laird (Sco), C Tringale (US)
Selected others: -1 P Casey (Eng), R Fowler (US), T Hatton (Eng)
Level B DeChambeau (US), J Rose (Eng)
1 L Westwood (Eng), J Spieth (US)
3 R McIlroy (NI)
4 D Johnson (US)
