Barcelona defender surprises by visiting training facilities days after Euro exit

Barcelona formally began their training under new coach Hansi Flick this Friday, with the German coach only working with the set of players who are currently available.

This includes mostly youth players and players who are serving their respective countries this summer. However, despite this, Barcelona players witnessed a surprise visitor at Ciutat Esportiva today.

Jules Kounde visits Ciutat Esportiva

As reported by Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona players were greeted by a surprise visit from first-team star Jules Kounde at the Ciutat Esportiva today, as the team trained under Flick.

Kounde’s visit came just three days after France’s elimination in Euro 2024, with Les Bleus losing to Spain in the semifinals.

In light of his participation in Euro 2024, Kounde has been assigned a longer vacation by the club. But the defender visited the club’s facilities on Friday.

Kounde will be looking to make an impact under Hansi Flick next season (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

However, it remains to be seen whether Kounde joins Barcelona’s training sessions under Flick, starting with a double session scheduled on Saturday.

It must be noted this is not the first time the Frenchman has shown up to training unexpectedly.

In the past, the former Sevilla defender surprised many with his unconventional recovery routine. On several occasions, he had even visited Ciutat Esportiva in the early hours of training.

It was also common to see Kounde in post-match recovery sessions with the substitutes, even though the starting players were given the allowance to only do gym work.

Such kind of commitment is sure to impress coach Hansi Flick, who promises to rejuvenate the way Barcelona train and prepare for matches, to not only maximise the team’s potential but also make the team physically competent.

Kounde, to that end, could prove to be an ideal poster-boy for Hansi Flick’s new training regime.