Playing soccer is the most favorite thing for soccer players. The image of these Christmas holidays remains that elite professionals use their holidays to play impromptu, informal “little games” with their children. he did it Lamine Yamal I asked him if I could hang out with him on the beach in Dubai, and as expected, he went on the 10th. FC Barcelona We got a resounding “yes”. The same thing happened to his clubmate. Jules Kundethe French national team defender is currently in Benin, enjoying a day that combines leisure and the spirit of togetherness.

Kunde traveled to Benin, the country of his roots, to participate in a charity project. The tourism board of the West African state published on social networks a video of the hero of the defending cup champions playing barefoot in a “pachanga” in the final against Real Madrid. The image is accompanied by the text: “So great to see Jules Kounde play for his country. Visit Benin.”

Kounde is one of the members of the Barça team who has spent the last few Christmas holidays away from Barcelona, ​​taking the opportunity to travel to Benin to take part in a charity project. The defender’s parents are from Benin, and the footballer wanted to contribute to unity in his parents’ country to help people in situations of vulnerability and poverty.

Kunde attended a session of the Ecris ton Hymne project, promoted by the Patrimoinezer Association, which aims to unleash the creative potential of young people through the Olympic spirit. The Kure soccer players spent over three hours with 50 boys and girls for an unforgettable experience.

In addition to visiting the Ecris Ton Hymns project and dedicating his time to young people, Kunde brought Barcelona-themed gifts and spent time playing barefoot soccer with several children.

he athletic The growth from the beginning of 2025-26 has not been shown for most of 2024-25. classification, numbers, senses, and Transfermarkt. Bilbao team is suffering Significant decrease in the staff value of this website This is a reference both for the club itself and for the world of football. In fact, Athletic is used to relying on data Evaluate the team’s situation in various public forums.

In recent updates, December 15ththe aforementioned portal rates the Red and White teams as follows: 303 million euros. September 1streferring to the beginning of the season. It was 367.4. That means you lose 17.5% of your value. So far, it is The most underrated team in La Liga. The closest in the last three months are Getafe (12.6%) and Real Sociedad (5.3%).

Anyway, Athletic continue to occupy 4th place in terms of absolute team value. Beyond this real madrid (1.38 billion), Barcelona (1.120) and athletic (589); while they appear behind Villarreal (269.7), royal society (250.7) and betis (219.8). This decline is mainly explained by team sports performance and individual performance. Not following the strategy of the previous exercise. Athletic are 4th to 8th in La Liga and 28th in the league stage of the Champions League.

With this magnifying glass placed over the individual, injury A few key people. The most typical case is sunsetHe only scored one goal, compared to 17 in the 2024-25 season. It went from 60 million to 40 million. This, along with Bellingham and Rodrigo’s ratings, would be the strongest ratings for La Liga players in recent Transfermarkt updates.

Nico Williams Since July 2024, his weight has increased from 70 kg to 60 kg. Despite all the circumstances, he continues to finish within the top 20 in national competitions. Other notable declines in athletics include vivianwent from 40 million to 30 million, or Inaki Williamsfrom 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Unai Simon It started at $28 million and is currently valued at $25. Areso The price paid to Osasuna was 12, but now it is 10.

There are 19 members whose value has decreased as a Zurigori player. Since summer. Uploaded to this web portal are: Adama Boiro, Rego, Selton, Nico Serrano. A footballer who has recently appeared from a lower category or started with a more modest rating. This global figure reflects the poor start to Athletic’s current campaign, both on a collective and individual level.

“As long as I continue with motivation and enthusiasm, I don’t think about retiring.” This is Rafa Leba. The legendary goalkeeper has joined the Gabba’s ranks. At 44 years old, Leva seems to have a lot of energy for a while.

With a very long career in naval football, Rafa Leba has seen football in all its colours. He trained in the best Spanish academies (Barcelona, ​​Espanyol, Dam, Mallorca), from there he went to Ferrioense (Mallorca’s second subsidiary at the time), Ospitalet, Recreativo, Egea, Constantia, Manresa, Europa, Masnou and above all Zamboia, where he spent 11 years in two stages, during which he also served as technical secretary. He ended his activities with the Vermilion Club at the age of 39. But instead of leaving football, he signed with Jupiter at the age of 40. He was then joined by the teams of Lloreda, Molins de Rei and Rubi, but it was with this team that he had his most special moments, as in addition to being promoted to La Liga, he also featured in the Copa del Rey match against Athletic Club. After that, they passed through the Kings League. “I enjoyed playing for the Kings last season, but I was already missing Green,” Reba explains. So this course is back. He joins Barbera from Segunda Catalana, coached by Juan Carlos Torres. But just two days ago he signed with the Gabba. “The possibility of playing for Gabá, where Jose Alcaraz, who I played with at Zamboia, came up, and I was bitten by the bug of playing again for a team with such history. I was very excited, remembering the good times in Gabá, where I used to play against them. There was also the possibility that I could help the team get back into the category it deserves.”

No expiry date

“Even at 44, I look great. I haven’t changed much from when I was younger. I’m very excited and want to train and learn. As always, I remain humble and learn from everyone around me. As long as I have everything and respect injuries, there are no limits for me,” says the in-form goalkeeper. “I wouldn’t rule out reaching 50 games.” Because at the moment, I’m not thinking about anything other than playing. “Do I focus on training? No, I don’t want to go to the dark side,” he says with a laugh. Although he acknowledges that he has changed with age, “I’m a lot calmer. As you get older, the pressure goes away. You know you’re there to enjoy the moment and have a good time. So everything goes a lot better.”

Locker room for 10 people

The two games in which Gaba played with Rafa Leba in goal ended in wins (3-1 against FA L’Hospitalet and 0-1 against Guinehueta). The goalkeeper couldn’t be happier with the start of a new stage, but most of all he realized that “There are 10 people in the locker room. It’s full of people who are passionate about growth and competition.And I think at least the goal of promotion is more than enough.”