MADRID, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- FC Barcelona defender Jules Kounde has signed a contract extension that adds three years to his current deal to keep him at the La Liga champion until the end of June 2030.

The French international signed the agreement on Thursday lunchtime in a ceremony alongside Barca president Joan Laporta and director of sport, Deco.

"I am very happy to have renewed my contract. It was all very simple because I am happy here and so it was easy to reach an agreement with the club," said the player, who joined Barcelona from Sevilla in July 2022 for 50 million euros (58 million US dollars).

The 26-year-old has played 142 times for Barcelona in both central defense and also at right back. Speaking to the Barcelona club TV station, he highlighted two key moments in his career.

"The derby against Espanyol in which we won La Liga (in 2023) and the Classico against Real Madrid in last season's Copa del Rey final, when I scored the winning goal in the 116th minute. That was something very special for me," Kounde explained, before looking ahead.

"We are lucky to be at a club that will compete for every title and we are going to try to win even more than last season (when Barca won La Liga, Copa del Rey and the Spanish Supercup)," he commented, adding that he would like to beat Eric Abidal's 193 appearances to become the Frenchman with the most appearances for the club. ■