On his return to Portugal to continue his recovery from a left knee injury, De Jong recalled the tribute from PSV and said that the energy he received in the Netherlands helps in the process of recovering from his physical issues
"It gave me a lot of strength to continue recovering from the injury," he said. "Being injured is always complicated, you have to work alone in the gym, but I'm managing it. Going back there and receiving a big farewell from PSV gave me even more energy to get back as soon as possible."
He eneded his last season with PSV in uncertain circumstances, with his contract expiring and the stirker unsure whether to stay put or not.
Given that, having a proper goodbye meant a lot.
"It was a great honour that PSV gave me, it was very emotional," said the veteran. "And it was good to be back, to see everyone again and talk to them again. It's always good to come back.
"I wanted to say goodbye, because at the end of last season I still didn't know what I wanted to do, where I wanted to go. I didn't know if I could say goodbye to PSV, even though my contract was up. It was very difficult.
"It was very emotional. At half-time, I walked round the pitch and the fans gave me a standing ovation and chanted my name."
New phase at Porto
It's been a tough start to life in Porto, with an injury ruling him out for months at the very start of his spell.
Nevertheless, he has no doubts that he made the right call heading to Portugal.
"I'm happy with the moment I chose FC Porto, it was a great decision for me," he said.
"Unfortunately, I've had the injury now... I hope to make an impact here too and win trophies.
"That's my goal of course, to leave a mark here at FC Porto too."