The brutal record with which Jules Koundé will end the year 2024

FC Barcelona and the French national team both have Jules Koundé, an asset who, beyond possessing top-level talent, especially now that he plays as a right-back full-time, has shown remarkable consistency in his level of play. Additionally, he is an injury-resistant alternative and a fixed element in the starting lineup of their respective teams.

This is not mere talk, as it is supported by statistics provided by the CIES Football Observatory in their weekly post. They presented a study on the 20 players from the 66 leagues around the world who have faced the highest amount of official minutes in 2024, whether for their clubs or national teams (senior national team, under-23, or under-21). Jules Koundé will lead this ranking at the end of this year.

The impressive record with which Jules Koundé will end the year 2024

According to the metrics of the mentioned study, Koundé leads the number of games played in 2024 with a total of 69 matches, translating to 5872 minutes of play. This distribution comprises 62.2% in domestic tournaments, 15.3% in international competitions with his team, and 22.5% in his performances with France.

Furthermore, the French defender is closely followed by Colombian Jhon Arias of Fluminense, with 67 matches played in 2024 and a total of 5599 minutes of play. In the same vein, the list is completed by the Uruguayan midfielder from Real Madrid, Federico Valverde, who has faced 66 duels in 2024 with a total of 5573 minutes of play.

Most official senior game minutes, outfield players in 2⃣0⃣2⃣4⃣ calendar year 🦾
🥇 #JulesKounde 🇫🇷 & #FCBarcelona
🥈 #JhonArias 🇨🇴 & #Fluminense
🥉 #FedeValverde 🇺🇾 & #RealMadrid#vanDijk 🇳🇱 #Otamendi 🇦🇷 #Xhaka 🇨🇭 #Hancko 🇸🇰 #Torres 🇪🇨 #Rodon 🏴 #Saliba 🇫🇷
Top 2⃣0⃣s per league… pic.twitter.com/FF38kAaRyM

— CIES Football Obs (@CIES_Football) December 18, 2024

The next three positions in the list are occupied by players over 30 years old. In fourth place is the Dutch defender from Liverpool, Virgil van Dijk, at 33 years old with 64 matches played, totaling 5523 minutes. Following him is the Argentine defender from SL Benfica, Nicolás Otamendi, at 36 years old, with 65 matches played and 5449 minutes of action, and finally, the 32-year-old Swiss midfielder from Bayer Leverkusen, Granit Xhaka, who has faced 65 matches with a total of 5447 minutes of action.

Koundé has established himself as an irreplaceable starter for Barcelona and France

Regarding Jules Koundé, it is not surprising that the Parisian defender leads a statistic of this kind, considering his performance in the 2024-25 season. With FC Barcelona, he has played 24 matches, scored one goal, and provided six assists in a total of 1975 minutes of play. Currently, he is the second player with the most minutes of action for Barcelona, only surpassed by Iñigo Martínez, who has played a total of 2046 minutes so far.

Similarly, in France, he has had a similar performance. In the six matches he has played with the French national team in the UEFA Nations League, during the group stage of this tournament, the Parisian has participated in all, accumulating a total of 454 minutes of play. He is also an essential element in the starting lineup for Didier Deschamps, as he is for Hansi Flick, providing valuable solutions for the right-back position despite being a defender by trade.