CARSON, Calif. -- Nigel de Jong doesn't care about other people's opinions of his style of play.
The 31-year-old Dutch midfielder was introduced to the Southern California media on Tuesday after a week of training, and a brief appearance in last week's preseason match against the San Jose Earthquakes.
One of the first questions afforded the two-time World Cup veteran with the Netherlands was about his reputation for being a "destroyer" which stems from several clashing tackles throughout his career. True to his hard-nosed playing style, de Jong admitted that he cares little about how people view his style of play.
What matters to him are victories.
"It’s not about the reputation. It’s about the winner’s mentality that you have to show on the pitch," he said. "Because at the end of the day, it’s about winning. To me, there’s never been a problem in my career. I'm not really a talker outside the pitch. So I’ll do my best on the pitch and let my feet speak. And do the best I can do for my team."
Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena deflected any talk of a negative reputation for de Jong when asked about his new midfielder's standing.
“I’ve never heard him called a thuggish player,” Arena said. “I think that he’s a good player.”
