Barcelona last training session of 2025-26 season sees Thiago farewell, Kounde absent and six academy call-ups | OneFootball

With just one game remaining before officially bringing the 2025/26 season to a close, FC Barcelona have already started wrapping up certain chapters behind the scenes ahead of their trip to Mestalla to face Valencia.

The Blaugrana side completed what is expected to be their final training session of the season, and as reported by Mundo Deportivo, there were some notable happenings during the session.

One aspect that raised some concern was the absence of defender Jules Kounde. Hansi Flick later clarified during his press conference that the Frenchman was dealing with some discomfort and was rested as a precaution ahead of the upcoming World Cup.

Thus, he joined Lamine Yamal and Fermin Lopez in the list of players unavailable for the session due to physical problems.

With the league title already secured, Barcelona are understandably unwilling to take any unnecessary risks with key players before the World Cup.

Another notable moment from the session was the traditional corridor of slaps to the back of the head received by Thiago Alcantara before training started. This is usually done within the squad during celebrations or farewells, and in this case, it appears to have marked the end of Thiago’s short spell as part of Flick’s coaching staff.

The former Bayern Munich midfielder had been expected to make a final decision about his future in recent days, but he has now decided to explore a different professional path away from Barcelona.

Several youth players were also involved in the training session, including Diego Kochen, Eder Aller, Xavi Espart, Jofre Torrents, Alvaro Cortes, and Tommy Marques. With there being little pressure surrounding the final league game of the season, some of these youngsters could now get an opportunity to feature for the first team against Valencia.