It’s been a while since Eric Abidal carried out his duties as the sporting director at Barcelona. He left the club in 2020 and since then, the club has entered the presidency of Joan Laporta and moved into a new direction.
Abidal’s time at Barcelona preceded one of the darkest times in the club’s history and he was partially responsible for what transpired after his tenure. How much of it was the Frenchman’s decisions is anyone’s guess but one can only speak to what happened.
Recently, in an interview as quoted by SPORT, Abidal has been recollecting incidents from his time at the club and also had words of praise for the current Barcelona players. The Frenchman took this chance to talk about his compatriot, Jules Kounde, and labeled him as a ‘versatile’ player. Here is what he had to say:
“I believe he is showing his class in La Liga. He is a versatile player, and I know that Barça is very satisfied with him; he brings a lot of balance to the team.”
Kounde, predominantly a center-back, signed for the club from Sevilla in 2022. He has played majorly at right-back since his move to Barcelona. Initially, the Frenchman didn’t look comfortable but he has put in a major effort to adapt himself to the position.
The 25-year-old Frenchman has now developed into one of the best right-backs in the world. He is one of the most hard-working players in the world and Hansi Flick admitted that he was astonished by the Barcelona star’s dedication.
Nowadays, no one thinks of Kounde as a center-back. Both for France and Barcelona, the 25-year-old predominantly almost exclusively plays at right-back, except for the few games when Flick shifts him into central defense to close out games.
With this transition in position, Kounde has added a lot of balance to Barcelona. The club is in a situation where they are blessed with a number of center-back talents and fewer options at right-back. Thus, the Frenchman’s transition could not have come at a better time for the team.
So far this season, Kounde has been the epitome of consistency. With every passing game, he is growing into his new role and it bodes well for the club which does not have a settled alternative at right-back. Hector Fort is still young and developing.
Barcelona will be hoping that Kounde continues his good form and helps the team achieve success under Hansi Flick this season. He is a huge part of our future and let’s wait and see how his career plays out.
