Jules Koundé said Monday that Spain winger Lamine Yamal's comments that France should fear the defending Euro champions ahead of their World Cup semifinal weren't a sign of disrespect.
Spain play Koundé's France side in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday, and after La Roja beat Belgium in the quarterfinals last Friday, Yamal said that France should fear them in their semifinal showdown.
"No, in no moment have we felt a lack of respect," said Koundé, Yamal's Barcelona teammate. "I know Lamine very well. For me it's a show of his confidence. I've seen it at Barca. They have confidence in their attitudes and the team they play.
"I see it as an extra motivation for him and nothing else."
Yamal was asked again Monday about his remarks, and he didn't back down.
"I'm not surprised, I know you guys," Yamal told reporters. "They asked me if I was afraid of France and I said no. We're European champions. It's football, like Koundé said. It's football, that's all."
The game between FIFA's No. 1-ranked team France and No. 3 Spain is a rematch of the 2024 European Championship semifinal that Luis de la Fuente's side won 2-1 on their way to lifting the trophy.
Yamal scored a stellar goal in that game and will be a focal point for France as they look to advance to the World Cup final for the third tournament in a row. But France midfielder Adrien Rabiot said defending Spain is not entirely about shutting down Yamal.
"We don't have a specific plan for Yamal. We're focused on the whole Spanish team, not on one player," Rabiot said. "We know they're dangerous everywhere. Him, their front line, their ball possession, the way they play in small places near the box, their passing game.
"We need to focus on all of that I think, not on one individuality."
France's attack has been devastating at this summer's World Cup -- scoring 16 goals in six games, with eight of those coming from star forward Kylian Mbappé -- but Koundé said he knows their opponent Tuesday presents a different challenge to the teams they've faced so far.
"Yes, we are two teams that attack a lot. That both like to have the ball," Koundé said. "Spain has always liked to have the ball and can hurt you in transition. Us too. We are a team that is comfortable with the ball and also we can defend deep and explode in transition.
"We have to keep that in mind that tomorrow we have the ball because against Spain you can't leave the ball for 90 minutes. It can't be like that."
Koundé added that the team will have mixed emotions playing on July 14, which is Bastille Day in France, but also the date of a terrorist attack in 2016 in Nice that left 86 people dead.
"Of course. It's July 14th. Our national day," Koundé said. "Even though for a few years now, it's been a date of grief because of the Nice terrorist attacks. We'll have a thought for the families of the victims. But it is the national day. We really want to make the French people proud.
"It's been the case since the beginning of this journey."
The winner of Tuesday's semifinal will play either England or Argentina in the final on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.