Madrid (AFP)
He is the fashionable central defender in Spain: at 22, Frenchman Jules Koundé is having a great season in Seville, opposed to Dortmund in the knockout stages of the Champions League on Tuesday (9:00 p.m., 8:00 p.m. GMT), and may s' imagine a future in Blue.
There was this defensive recital against Romelu Lukaku and Inter Milan in the Europa League final in August (3-2).
This roulette and this goal against Celta Vigo in La Liga, in October.
This cannonball sent in the nets of Rennes, in C1, in December.
Then this fantastic ride under the eyes of Lionel Messi and Barça, in the Spanish Cup in February, and concluded with a new goal.
"When Koundé disguises himself as Maradona", exclaimed the Spanish press after this action which saw the central defender seize the ball near the central circle, erase three defenders then end up cheating Marc-André ter Stegen after a tumble on the right wing.
For more than a year, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid and the European behemoths have been kind eyes on the former defender of the Girondins.
Arrived in the summer of 2019 in Seville, this child from Landiras, south of Bordeaux, had nevertheless taken aback the supporters when the Andalusian club paid 25 M EUR to attract him, which made him the most expensive recruit in the history of Sevilla FC (with Rony Lopes, the same summer).
- Winning bet -
"Dear? We will talk about it again in two years", had bet the sports director Monchi, a great finder of nuggets.
Winning bet.
Relatively small for his position but very strong (1.78 kg, 70 kg), this defender did not take long to reassure Andalusia.
During his first season, interrupted by the pandemic, the ex-Girondin forms a complementary pair alongside the former Nantes native Diego Carlos and ends the exercise with 40 matches on the clock (including 36 as holder), a 4th place in Liga, a coronation in the Europa League, and even five selections and a goal with the France Espoirs team.
Under the direction of Julen Lopetegui (former coach of the Spanish team and Real Madrid), Koundé changes dimension.
"He told me he wanted me, that he would help me grow," he explains.
And since the fall, Koundé confirms.
- Deschamps "follows" his progress -
The Spanish press lends itself wholeheartedly to the game of comparisons.
First with Daniel Alves, the side discovered in Seville who used to finish the actions in the opposing area.
Or even Sergio Ramos, for his forward projection.
The "most fashionable central" according to Marca has aroused the interest of the greatest.
Sevilla turned down a EUR 55m offer from Manchester City last summer, according to press reports.
Real Madrid and FC Barcelona have also approached the Andalusian team.
But without success: Koundé's release clause is set at EUR 80 million, and the Frenchman is under contract until 2024.
And what about the interest of French coach Didier Deschamps?
"He is a player that we follow, who has a constant progression. There are others who have gone through the Espoirs and who quickly came with me. In the hinge, the positions are expensive. to those who are there with an experience, those who arrive, and there are others like Koundé who could be brought to join the France group ", had slipped the coach of the Blues at a press conference in October.
As Marca summed it up in February: "Koundé is no longer a promise. It is a reality".
Praise for which the Frenchman will have to prove himself worthy on Tuesday by trying to muzzle another of the rising values of the continent: the Norwegian striker Erling Haaland.
© 2021 AFP