Barcelona defender Jules Kounde named one of France vice-captains by Zidane

Barcelona defender Jules Kounde named one of France vice-captains by Zidane According to journalist Fabrice Hawkins of RMC Sport , FC Barcelona defender Jules Kounde has been named one of the vice-captains of the France national team by Zinedine Zidane. Les Bleus are embarking on a new era after bidding goodbye to Didier Deschamps after the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with Zidane taking over the reins. Kounde in the leadership group The Real Madrid and France legend has taken charge of the team for the first time in the ongoing international break, with Kounde having been called up despite not playing regularly at Barça. Now, Zidane has gone ahead and appointed the Barcelona star as one of his vice-captains for the national team. As per the report, Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe continues as the undisputed captain of France. Kounde named one of France’s vice-captains. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images) Behind him, it will be former Barcelona winger and current PSG spearhead Ousmane Dembele, who will act as the vice-captain. Completing the leadership group will be Adrien Rabiot and Kounde. The journalist highlights that Zidane’s choice has been guided by seniority in the national team, with Mbappe having made 106 national team appearances, Dembele with 67, Rabiot with 66, and Kounde on 56 caps. A tough start to the season for Kounde While Kounde will celebrate this development with the French national team, he will also be aware that his performances have not been up to the desired level this season. The 27-year-old defender has lost his starting place at Barcelona to Eric Garcia, which has restricted him to only five appearances this term, only two of them being starts. Kounde has lost his place in the Barcelona starting XI. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) Whenever he has played, be at right-back or at centre-back, the Frenchman has not been convincing enough. So, he will be eager to make amends and return to his best version, starting with France’s upcoming matches. Les Bleus are set to take on Turkiye, Belgium (twice), and Italy in the UEFA Nations League over the next couple of weeks. Once he returns from international duty, Kounde could have a window of opportunity to force his way back into Hansi Flick’s plans thanks to Andreas Christensen’s injury.