Jules Kounde has become Mr. Dependable at Barcelona. In 2024, the French defender played 5,872 minutes across 69 matches for the La Liga heavyweights and has become the most utilized player in Europe’s top-5 leagues.
Kounde has been impressive in maintaining peak fitness levels to be available for the Blaugrana in any competition across the year. Despite having becoming such a trustworthy asset for Barcelona, the Frenchman did not have such smooth sailing throughout his career – especially when he was coming up through the French football scene.
The French defender has admitted in the past that he dealt with temperamental issues at the youth football level. He claimed to have been a ‘nightmare at home’ after losing matches at the youth level and that he also ended up kicking his own mother in rage as a kid. It was also during his youth career that Kounde was rejected by French third-division club Sochaux.
The Barcelona defender revealed a strange reason why he was snubbed by the lower division club when coming up through the youth scene. In a recent interview with ESN Media’s ‘The Bridge’, he explained: “Before going to the youth academy in Bordeaux, I did a trial in Sochaux. A recruiter comes to pick me up at home, early in the morning. We drive 10 hours. During the whole journey, I slept.
“I’ve always been a big sleeper! I stay there for a few days. I play a match, which goes pretty well. The test is negative. And, in fact, I learn later that one of the reasons is that the recruiter found it super disrespectful that I slept in the car!”
This story is a clear example of how strict the youth academy scouts or coaches are in France, as they insists on punctuality and discipline over anything else in a budding footballer. Kounde has definitely kept his sleeping habits under control, and wasn’t really made to rue missing out on Sochaux. He ended up joining Bordeaux’s academy in 2013, making his professional debut at the age of 18 before moving to Sevilla when he was just 21.
Despite being rejected by the lower division French club, Kounde definitely has no hard feelings over the matter and actually likes donning the colors of the two-time Ligue 1 champions. During the October international break during the 2024/25 season, Kounde took out some time to visit the 90 Vintage Football Store in Brussels, Belgium.
He seems to be a big fan of vintage jerseys and was seen buying the 1982-83 Sochaux kit. This is a beautiful yellow attire with blue stripes and the symbol of a lion largely imprinted on the front of the jersey. This kit also had the symbol of French automobile manufacturer Peugeot as well. Even though this symbol is similar to the Chelsea club crest, Kounde made it clear that he wanted to by FCSM’s attire to add a unique attire to his closet.
The French defender was clearly swayed by the Sochaux attire because he decided to wear it in an in-depth interview with French outlet Telefoot. He showed off his vintage kit in the TV interview, invariably giving a bit more recognition to the third division French club and making their supporters proud too.
Sochaux played in the UEFA Cup (Europa League) in the 1982-83 season, but lost out to PAOK in the first round of the competition on an away goals technicality. But they wore this beautiful kit in their European ventures and made really attractive ones for football fans.
Kounde has gained a reputation for his wacky sense of fashion, but this vintage Sochaux kit fits him like a glove. The 26-year-old is smart enough to give more traction to the French football scene and ensure that historic clubs like FC Sochaux are never forgotten.
