Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong, on Thursday, secured for himself an altogether impressive La Liga season record.
The Blaugrana, of course, were back in action a short time ago.
On the back of just a solitary victory in four across all competitions, Xavi Hernandez’s troops welcomed Villarreal to the Camp Nou, desperate for a three-point haul amid efforts to track down La Liga table-toppers Real Madrid.
And, when all was said and done, this is precisely what the evening’s hosts managed.
After exploding out of the gates, first-half goals on the part of Robert Lewandowski (2) and Ansu Fati proved enough to guide Barca to a comfortable 3-0 triumph.
TWO FOR LEWY IN FOUR MINUTES 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/7OiI5XjYWW
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) October 20, 2022
Whilst it has been Robert Lewandowski, in turn, who has understandably taken the post-match plaudits in Catalunya on Thursday evening, the prolific hitman was actually far from the only standout performer amongst Xavi’s ranks.
Classy as ever with the ball at his feet, Dutch international De Jong controlled the tempo of the clash with consummate poise, staking his claim for a weekly starting berth moving forward.
It was in fact the midfielder’s efforts on the defensive side of the ball, though, which saw him set a new benchmark for the La Liga campaign.
As per statisticians Opta, De Jong, on Thursday, won more duels (10) with a 100% success rate than any other player in Spain’s top-flight has managed in a single fixture across 2022/23 to date.
10 – @FCBarcelona‘s 🔵🔴 @DeJongFrenkie21 🇳🇱 has won 10 duels tonight against Villarreal (10/10), more than any other player in a single game in @LaLigaEN with 100% of duels success this season. Gladiator. pic.twitter.com/8G3a8MEH8F
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) October 20, 2022
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