"I don't want to play as a right-back." That's how firm Jules Koundé was in the summer of 2023 in a private conversation with Xavi Hernández. At La Cartuja, when he started to intercept Modric's pass, move into the area, and shoot, no one thought about that challenge, not even him, because since then he has been adapting until becoming one of the best right-backs in the world and having his name forever linked to the 2025 Cup. "I was saving this goal for a final," he confessed with laughter right after the match.
A key piece for Barça, he hasn't missed a match since November 28, 2023. He has played 88 games with Barça and 18 more with France, where Deschamps also places him close to the touchline. That's why he ended 2024 as the outfield player with the most minutes played in that calendar year, a figure he could surpass in 2025 as this season he already has 4,581 minutes. Flick has only benched him once and substituted him three times. Being left out of the squad would only happen if he gets a yellow card that would lead to a suspension if he receives it in one of the upcoming five league matches.
Koundé deconstructed himself as a center-back to move to the right after his first season with Barça and winning the league. Barça didn't have players in that position nor the financial resources to look for them. That's why the Frenchman's resistance could last shortly: the undisputed starting position was at the defensive right-back, from where, at 26 years old, he has become one of the best in the world and has increased his market value above the 50 million that his departure from Sevilla cost.
Furthermore, Flick has given him freedom. The German's trust has led him to reveal himself as an offensive weapon. He has scored four goals, two in the league and two in the cup, matching his best record, which he achieved as a Sevilla player in the 20/21 season. In addition to this, he has provided eight assists, a rare figure for a full-back except in this rejuvenated Barça, where Balde has ten from the left.
Koundé is the perfect complement to Lamine Yamal. With the high defensive line brought by the German coach, he can cover his back and also join him in attack. That's what he did in the final. "I saw that Modric was going to make the pass and I anticipated it. I had Lamine, but I thought it was a shooting opportunity," he described happily from La Cartuja's corridors. Their complicity is evident on and off the field.
They both feed off each other and strengthen the "character" and "confidence" that, for Koundé, were key in the comeback. An example is what Lamine told Araújo in extra time: "It doesn't matter if they score one or two goals because this year they can't beat us." Maybe Koundé didn't hear it, but he knows how to harm Real Madrid. In the Copa final, he scored the decisive goal in the 116th minute. In the Spanish Super Cup, he provided an assist for a header goal by Raphinha. "I'm a footballer to experience these matches. A Clásico is the best match in Europe," he confessed with a champion's medal around his neck.
The Frenchman has two years left on his contract with this Barça that is starting a new era and is already a protagonist in the French national team. But his shine goes beyond the playing fields, where his passion for taking care of his appearance is only reflected in his hair. Sometimes long with a headband, sometimes with braids or two buns. Off the field, he exudes the same personality through his clothing. He never goes unnoticed, which has led him to become a model for the French brand Jacquemus.
Among his challenges is winning the treble with Barça, the desire of a rebellious centennial generation dressing room that ends up infecting others with their extravagant looks and dances, but he also has his own projects outside the field as part of that Generation Z. He co-owns, along with his great friend Tchouaméni, who also scored in the final, the team 360 Nations in the French Kings League, shared with Milan's goalkeeper Mike Maignan, Mbeume, and Manu Koné. All this without missing a minute on the field.