‘Nigel de Jong was public enemy number one’ – Manchester City midfielder reflects on aftermath of World Cup final challenge on Xabi Alonso

2010 FIFA World Cup Final,Nigel De Jong,Xabi Alonso,Netherlands v Spain(Getty Images)

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Nigel de Jong admits that he felt like ‘public enemy number one’ after his ferocious challenge on Spain midfielder Xabi Alonso during the 2010 World Cup final.

The Manchester City star was heavily criticised for his reckless challenge and De Jong feels that some people went too far with their comments on his actions.

“I had a feeling that people were after me and tried to damage me. Nigel de Jong was public enemy number one at some point. People treated me like I was some sort of a criminal who was involved in war crimes,” said De Jong to De Volkskrant.

“The referee obviously could have given me a red card for the foul. It really didn’t look good when I saw the challenge. I never saw him Xabi Alonso coming though and was completely focused on the ball.”

De Jong also briefly looked back at his tackle on Newcastle United forward Hatem Ben Arfa earlier this season, which resulted in a broken leg for the Magpies’ new signing.

“That was just an unfortunate tackle. Of course, it was really sad that he broke his leg, but I never even had the intention to hit him. Nobody really believes you though when you try to explain what happened.”

The 26-year-old midfielder recently secured a spot in the FA Cup final with Manchester City after their Wembley win over rivals Manchester United, and is still in the race for Champions League qualification with Roberto Mancini’s side.