Jules Kounde Backs Lamine Yamal to Win Ballon d’Or Over France Team-Mate Ousmane Dembele and Names Champions League Title as ‘The Goal’ for Barcelona

Kounde Signs New Deal and Sets Ambitious Targets

Barcelona defender Jules Kounde has committed his long-term future to the Catalan giants, penning a fresh contract that ties him to the club until 2030. For a player who has grown into one of Barça’s most consistent performers, this renewal is not just a personal milestone—it’s a signal of intent from a club that wants to build a dynasty around its defensive rock.

Fresh from signing his new deal, Kounde faced the media and was quickly quizzed about two of the hottest topics in world football: the Ballon d’Or race between his teammate Lamine Yamal and France colleague Ousmane Dembele, and Barcelona’s renewed push for Champions League glory under Hansi Flick.

Kounde, never one to shy away from an honest answer, delivered headlines on both fronts.

What Happened?

The 26-year-old Frenchman confirmed what many Barcelona fans have been hoping to hear: Europe’s grandest prize, the Champions League, is firmly on the club’s agenda this season. But he stopped short of calling it an obsession, stressing instead that it’s the natural expectation for a club of Barça’s stature.

“Every time we start the season, we set goals,” Kounde explained. “And when you’re at Barça, and with the team we have and the season we had last year, the Champions League should be the goal. But it’s not an obsession.”

It was a measured response, the kind that reflects the balance Barcelona must strike—ambition without arrogance, hunger without desperation.

When pressed on the Ballon d’Or debate, however, the Frenchman cracked a smile. With his international teammate Dembele in contention alongside his Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal, the question was loaded. Yet Kounde, in his own way, gave his verdict:

“You’re putting me in a difficult position,” he laughed. “But I’m going to be modest in saying that he [Yamal] deserves it, yes, he does. It’s also true that there are other players who have had a good season.”

Lamine Yamal Ousmane Dembele

The Bigger Picture: Ballon d’Or Battle Between Lamine Yamal and Dembele

This year’s Ballon d’Or race has captured imaginations not just in Spain and France, but across the footballing world. Rarely have two such contrasting stories collided in the same season.

On one side, you have Lamine Yamal, Barcelona’s 18-year-old prodigy who played far beyond his years last season. His dazzling creativity, composure in front of goal, and maturity made him the heartbeat of a side that swept La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Supercopa de España to claim a historic domestic treble. For many, Lamine Yamal is the natural heir to the golden lineage of Lionel Messi—a player destined not only to shine in Catalonia but to dominate the world stage.

On the other side stands Ousmane Dembele, reborn in Paris since leaving Barcelona in 2023. At PSG, Dembele finally fulfilled the promise that once made him one of the most expensive signings in football history. Operating in a free role, often as a false nine, he spearheaded PSG’s charge to a first-ever Champions League triumph. Add in Ligue 1 and Coupe de France success, and you have the perfect treble-winning campaign.

Both are compelling cases. Dembele’s maturity, end product, and big-game impact finally silenced years of doubters. Lamine Yamal, meanwhile, symbolizes football’s future: fearless, inventive, and already capable of deciding finals.

For Kounde, siding with his teenage teammate was as much about loyalty as it was about belief. But in truth, the decision for voters will be agonizing.

Champions League Glory: ‘The Goal’ for Barcelona

While the Ballon d’Or conversation is glamorous, Kounde was keen to return to the collective mission: bringing the Champions League back to Camp Nou.

For all their domestic dominance, Barcelona have flattered to deceive on the European stage in recent years. The painful memories of collapses against Bayern Munich, Roma, and Liverpool still linger. Even last season’s treble felt incomplete without progress beyond the quarter-finals in Europe.

Now, with Hansi Flick at the helm, expectations have reset. Flick, who led Bayern Munich to Champions League glory in 2020, has been entrusted with translating Barcelona’s youthful exuberance into continental success.

Kounde summed it up: “With the quality we have, we must compete. The Champions League should be our goal. We know it is difficult, but this is Barcelona—this is what is expected.”

Did You Know?

Kounde’s commitment to Barcelona until 2030 makes him one of the longest-serving projected players in the squad. At just 26, he could realistically spend the prime of his career anchoring Barça’s defense, becoming a cornerstone of Flick’s project.

As for Lamine Yamal, his meteoric rise has been nothing short of astonishing. Still a teenager, he has already been likened to Messi—not just for his left foot, but for his game-changing presence. Last season, he notched 18 goals and 21 assists across all competitions, numbers usually reserved for players with a decade more experience.

Dembele, by contrast, has rewritten his own narrative. Injuries and inconsistency plagued his time at Barcelona, but in Paris, he has thrived. His performance in the Champions League final—two goals and an assist—cemented his claim as one of Europe’s elite forwards.

Hansi Flick

What Next for Barcelona?

For Barcelona, the road ahead is as exciting as it is demanding. Domestically, they will once again be expected to fend off Real Madrid in La Liga, but Europe remains the real proving ground. Hansi Flick’s task is clear: turn a talented squad into a ruthless European machine.

And then there’s the Ballon d’Or announcement on September 22. Whether Lamine Yamal or Dembele claims the crown, it will be symbolic. For Barcelona fans, a Lamine Yamal victory would confirm that their faith in youth development continues to pay off. For France supporters, a Dembele triumph would mark the redemption of a once-erratic genius.

Kounde, for his part, will continue to defend in Barcelona colors while quietly supporting his teenage teammate’s historic bid.

Conclusion: Loyalty, Ambition, and a Season of High Stakes

Jules Kounde’s press conference revealed much about where Barcelona stand today. This is a club rooted in tradition but looking to the future, a club proud of its domestic dominance but hungry for European validation.

By backing Lamine Yamal for the Ballon d’Or over his France teammate Dembele, Kounde showed where his loyalties lie. By declaring the Champions League as “the goal,” he underlined the standard every Barcelona player must meet.

It won’t be easy. The Ballon d’Or race is fiercely competitive, and the Champions League is as unforgiving as ever. But with players like Lamine Yamal rising, Kounde committed, and Flick guiding the project, Barcelona’s ambitions feel more tangible than they have in years.

And as the season unfolds, one question will keep reverberating around Catalonia and beyond: Can this new Barcelona era finally conquer Europe—and will Lamine Yamal become the youngest Ballon d’Or winner in history?