It is thanks to the unrelenting devotion of the players of Barcelona that helps the club still remain relevant. While certain complaints have been made of the same players for certain displays, their commitment remains absolute. For Barcelona, it is through this very commitment that the club continues to compete.
However, certain superstars still manage to stand out more than others with the amount of effort they put in. Most of the time, they are left with no other option as the Barcelona coaches decide which players get to play and which players are to be rested.
Despite this fact, the same players have to be commended for giving their all every time they step onto the pitch. As highlighted by Mundo Deportivo, however, two stars in particular stand out the most for warranting praise based on their dedication to Barça’s cause in 2024.
Dutch midfielder Frenkie De Jong and French defender Jules Kounde have both been untouchable for Xavi this year. In terms of minutes, they have played every single minute for Barcelona this season without rest. All the 1290 minutes and beyond that were there to compete in saw both of the two Barça stars there for them.
De Jong has also been given a new system by Xavi to excel more with his creative skills. By deploying Andreas Christensen as the pivot for the team, the Dutchman is allowed a lot more freedom to roam and explore on the field, allowing him to further make use of his great progressive qualities.
Kounde, on the other hand, has mainly been deployed as a right-back. On a few occasions, three to be exact, he did end up being used as a central defender. These included the games against Real Madrid, Unionistas de Salamanca, and Las Palmas.
In terms of minutes played overall this season for FC Barcelona, Ilkay Gundogan remains on top. The German midfielder has reached a total of 3018 minutes under his belt.
Jules Kounde comes in second with 2810 minutes. De Jong, on the other hand, comes in at fifth place on the list with a total of 2284 minutes, which is still impressive given that he was injured for quite some time this season.
