GFFN Awards | Why was Jules Koundé elected our Best Frenchman Abroad of the Season? | OneFootball

A mainstay in the highly successful Barcelona side that won the La Liga title and the Copa del Rey, Jules Koundé (26) has made the right-back slot his own in Catalunya. His exploits have seen him awarded Get French Football News‘ award for Best Frenchman Abroad in the 2024/25 season. Voted for by three members of our team, he won just under a quarter of the public vote in what was a tight vote, including Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitiké. Here is why Koundé won the award:

Jules Koundé is never shy to put out a bold statement. The Bordeaux youth graduate has made a habit of turning up at Clairefontaine with an eye-catching fit. But the Barcelona defender is also known to speak his mind regarding player welfare. “We’re not machines. To give the fans what they want, we need a rest.”

The thing is, Koundé does not listen to his own advice. When taking into account France outings, the 26-year-old has played a whopping 59 games this season alone! In football, the most overlooked ability has always been availability, and it appears both Didier Deschamps and Hansi Flick can thank their lucky stars that Koundé continues to deliver remarkable shifts on his right flank.

Despite some reluctance to make the switch from the centre-back post, Koundé has made becoming Barcelona’s best-ever full-back his objective. To do so, he worked tirelessly to improve, both as a footballer and as an athlete. With a Mo-Salah-like regard to his fitness, he is now the most-used outfield player of one of the very best teams in Europe this season.

It’s fitting Koundé was the player to fire Barcelona up to Copa del Rey glory, against El Clásico rivals Real Madrid, with a blistering extra-time winner from outside the penalty box. As indispensable as it gets. Even Flick has given up on trying to restrain Koundé. “The problem with Jules is that when I tell him I’m going to give him 30 minutes less so he can rest, the next day he goes to Sitges (a coastal town south of Barcelona) to run.”

>> READ: Our full list of winners for the 2024/25 GFFN Awards

GFFN | Bastien Cheval, Luke Entwistle