Rafael van der Vaart has criticised Frenkie de Jong following the Netherlands’ penalty shootout defeat to Morocco in the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
According to Barca Universal on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, De Jong played nearly 110 minutes before being substituted by coach Ronald Koeman during extra time. Morocco went on to win the shootout and eliminate the Dutch.
Van der Vaart described De Jong’s display as “the worst match I’ve ever seen from him,” but also questioned Koeman’s tactical approach, arguing that deploying only two midfielders left the Barcelona captain isolated against Morocco’s dominant midfield.
Former Dutch footballer Jan Mulder echoed the criticism, saying De Jong lacked his usual attacking intent and relied on safe sideways passes instead of creating opportunities.
Despite the criticism, De Jong was widely regarded as one of the Netherlands’ standout performers during the group stage and is expected to join FC Barcelona for pre-season after his World Cup break.
