Barcelona defender brushes exit claims: “I am one of the leaders of the dressing room”

With the European Championships set to begin in under a week, teams across the continent are warming up for the mega event.

France, unsurprisingly, are one of the favourites in the event.

Les Bleus, who finished second only to Lionel Messi’s Argentina in Qatar 2022, have a squad filled with champions, one of whom is Jules Kounde.

The Barcelona defender, who incidentally also features as a right-back for his national team, could have a big role to play in his team’s march to the title later this month especially given his form in defence for the Blaugranas.

Speaking to Le Parisien in a recent interview, the 25-year-old revealed his feelings about the recent season with Barcelona, his place in the team and Real Madrid’s new signing Kylian Mbappe.

A key player for Barcelona

He began by reviewing his season with Barcelona which unfortunately ended trophy-less for the Catalans and even called himself one of the leaders of the dressing room in the process.

Interestingly, Kounde’s comments came amidst recent reports linking him with a move to Saudi Arabia.

“I am one of Barça’s key players, one of the leaders of the dressing room and, above all, I am a reliable player,” he said as quoted by SPORT.

“That’s perhaps one of the things I’m most proud of.

“This season, apart from the time that Gavi injured my knee when I accidentally crashed, I haven’t had a single physical problem to complain about.

“I am very proud of it because it is the result of a lot of work,” he added.

Mbappe is the best of the best

Speaking about Mbappe, who he effectively shut down when Barcelona faced PSG in the Champions League earlier this season, the defender was full of praise for his international teammate.

“That’s why I play football, for the big games, to face the best. And in that sense, Kylian is the ‘Crème de la Crème’ (the best of the best). So it’s very satisfying.”

“But a player like Mbappe can’t be stopped alone, it also requires a collective effort, although since he was in my area, I participated a lot in the success of the team,” he added.

He rounded off his conversation by revealing how going up against champions made him push the limits and become better.

“Acting against players like this encourages you to continue, to keep looking for more, and convinces you that if you work hard, sooner or later you will get it.”