Jules Kounde, another heroic defender

What do Jules Kounde, Yaya Touré, Juliano Belletti and Ronald Koeman have in common?

All four, despite playing in defensive positions with fewer opportunities to score, have netted decisive goals that secured titles for FC Barcelona. Kounde wrote his name in the club annals on Saturday by scoring the winning goal in the 116th minute against Real Madrid to clinch Barça’s 32nd Copa del Rey.

Kounde’s physical strength allowed him to reach the ball before Brahim, drive towards goal, and place a shot past Courtois, sending over 26,000 Barça fans at La Cartuja in Seville into ecstasy. An unexpected hero in a cup final that ended, just four minutes later, with Barça lifting the trophy.

But before him, Touré, Belletti, and Koeman had also done it. Remember when and how? Let’s revisit:

Toure Yaya in 2009 cup final

The first title of the historic sextuple came in the Copa del Rey. Although the final score was a comfortable 4-1, one of the key moments was Touré’s goal. Athletic Club had taken an early lead through Toquero, but Touré, playing as a centre-back that day, pulled Barça level with a long-range strike. Messi, Bojan, and Xavi later sealed the win, but Touré’s goal set the comeback in motion and was perhaps the most iconic of the four scored that wonderful day.

Belletti, hero of Paris 2006

In the rain-soaked final in Paris on 17 May 2006, right-back Juliano Belletti became an unlikely hero. Barça had fallen behind to Arsenal after Sol Campbell's goal, but Samuel Eto'o equalized in the 74th minute. Then, in the 81st minute, Belletti, coming off the bench, squeezed a shot past Almunia from a tight angle to secure the 2-1 win and Barça’s second Champions League title. It was Belletti’s only goal for Barça — and what a time to score it!

Koeman at Wembley

And of course, Ronald Koeman will forever hold a unique place in Barça’s folklore. Beyond his many games and influence, he scored perhaps the club’s most iconic goal of all time, an image that Barça fans have watched hundreds of times over: the one that secured the club’s first-ever European Cup.

On 20 May 1992, in the 111th minute of the final against Sampdoria at Wembley, Koeman unleashed a thunderous free kick that found the back of the net. The image is forever part of Barça’s heritage.