Jules Kounde was the star of a new live Q&A on FC Barcelona’s YouTube channel. El Clásico, teammates, music, travel and fashion were among the topics raised by the members’ questions for the Frenchman, who is fully focused on lifting the league title this Sunday in front of the fans at Spotify Camp Nou.

Fired up for the Real Madrid

“We’re really looking forward to playing the Clásico" he said. "We’ve trained well, we’re fully switched on and we want the win because it would be the best way to clinch the league title at the Spotify Camp Nou in front of the culers ... We know their strengths and, because of that, we have to keep playing with our own DNA. We need to know when to drop back, but the key will be pressing well.”

Always smiling, the Barça number 23 appeared confident about the team’s chances of becoming champions against their eternal rivals: “We’ll leave everything out on the pitch at the Spotify Camp Nou to win the Clásico and the league.”

His words reflected the determination surrounding this huge encounter, where the defender will once again come up against one of the players he finds hardest to defend: Vinicius. But he feels more than ready, thanks to training every day alongside top-quality teammates such as Lamine Yamal and Pedri.

Without doubt, facing players of that level means handling pressure well: “I wouldn’t like to live without pressure; it’s part of our lives. I deal with it calmly because it’s part of our job and it pushes us to give the best version of ourselves.”

On the road towards the title, the France international also highlighted that “the support from the culers when things aren’t going so well is something we really appreciate. We’re always grateful to the fans who travel away, come to the Spotify Camp Nou or to the Ciutat Esportiva to support us.”

Most stylish player?

Beyond the topic dominating all the current Barça headlines, Kounde also spoke about fashion. His outfits are well known among Barça fans, and when asked which teammate he thinks dresses best, he admitted it was Lamine Yamal.

Barça’s number 10 is also one of the players Kounde gets on best with in the dressing room. “I get on really well with Olmo, Eric, Pedri, Balde and Joan."

"Depending on my mood, I sit with some or others,” he added.

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Praise for Thierry Henry

Music and travel also emerged as some of Kounde’s passions during this latest live Q&A.

And current names gave way to some historic ones. When asked which former Barça player he would have liked to play alongside, his answer was immediate and full of praise: Thierry Henry. “I really like his mentality and his quality. He was very fast and very good on the ball, and he could also play through the middle. He was a very complete player,” he explained.

 

Força Barça