Xavi gives De Jong the captaincy of the Netherlands against Greece and Germany

Xavi Hernandez, coach of the Dutch national team, decided to officially give the team captaincy to Frenkie de Jong during the current international break.

The Spanish Barcelona midfielder will lead the team nicknamed “The Windmills” in the absence of Virgil van Dijk, the English Liverpool star, who is absent from the stadiums due to suffering from physical problems.

Xavi confirmed, during a press conference held on Thursday, that De Jong will serve as captain in the Netherlands national team's next two matches in the European Nations League, where the orange team will play against its Greek counterpart on Friday at the Johan Cruyff Arena, before visiting the German national team in the capital, Berlin, led by coach Jurgen Klopp, on Monday.

This decision comes in light of the continued absence of main captain Van Dijk from the two matches due to injury.

De Jong is no stranger to the responsibility of representing his country, but this appointment represents a milestone in his international career, and the player expressed his pride in this role earlier this week, saying: “Of course, this has great significance. I believe that holding the captaincy is a great honor for any player, myself included. To be a leader of your country. Representing the national team is the utmost that any player can aspire to, and now I have also become captain of the Dutch national team.”

The Dutch national team coach was quick to highlight the specific characteristics that made De Jong the ideal choice to lead the team in the absence of Van Dijk.

Having previously supervised his training at Barcelona, ​​Xavi has a deep understanding of the player’s mental and technical characteristics.

Xavi told the media: “I gave De Jong the captaincy primarily because of his personality. He loves possession of the ball, seeks to improve daily, and is always keen to be an active part of the team. “I know him well, and he always takes responsibility.”

In addition to his leadership qualities, De Jong's tactical importance in the Netherlands national team system cannot be overlooked, as Xavi sees him as a fundamental pillar of the team's identity, regardless of who wears the captaincy.

The Spanish coach confirmed this, saying: “Of course, I gave him the badge because of his potential as well, as I consider him one of the best midfielders in the world. “These reasons are very important to me as a coach.”

This match against Greece will be De Jong's 71st appearance with his country's national team, in a career that began in September 2018 when he participated for the first time as a substitute for Georginio Wijnaldum in a confrontation against Peru, cementing his position as an essential and indispensable element in the team's starting lineup since then.

Ronald Koeman, Frank de Boer, and Louis Van Gaal are the three coaches who preceded the current national team coach, so De Jong has played under the leadership of four different coaches at the international level.

The next two matches are of great importance to the Dutch team's hopes of reaching the quarter-finals of the European Nations League, as the team currently sits at the top of the standings of Group Two in the first level of the continental competition with eight points, superior on goal difference to its closest rivals, the Greek national team, who are on par with them on the same score, which makes Friday's match decisive in the qualification race.

The German team is in third place in the group standings with five points, while Serbia is at the bottom without any point.

Harry Kane became the England national team's most capped player after playing his 126th match on Thursday with the start of his country's match against Croatia at Wembley Stadium in London in the fifth round of the third group competitions within the first level of the European Nations League competition.

Kane (33 years old), who is playing his first international match since winning the Ballon d'Or for the best player in the world this year, surpassed the number he shared with former goalkeeper Peter Shilton.

A huge banner was raised before the start of the match bearing a picture of Kane and the phrase “The Best in England.”

The German coach of the England national team, Thomas Tuchel, told ITV: “There is no secret. It's character, talent, hard work, dedication and focus. Complete package.

He added: “He is usually not the loudest voice in the dressing room, but he is still our leader, and he still carries the captaincy.”

Last month, the German Bayern Munich striker was crowned the best footballer in the world, ahead of Frenchman Kylian Mbappe and Spaniard Lamine Yamal, and became the first Englishman to achieve this achievement in 25 years.

The former Tottenham player played his first international match in 2015, and scored a record 91 goals with the England national team, including six goals in the first four matches of his campaign in the European Nations League this season.