Ibrahima Konate’s comments at Euro 2024 speak volumes for the Liverpool star

Liverpool centre-back Ibrahima Konate has revealed details of his elite mentality as he had a mixed finish to his previous Premier League campaign after joining his national squad for Euro 2024.

The 25-year-old is seen as the natural long-term successor to Virgil van Dijk as the leader behind the Reds after impressing during his three campaigns on Merseyside. Blessed with the leadership qualities needed to organize a defence, alongside elegance and athleticism in his overall game, there is no doubting his world-class credentials.

However, injuries and a dip in form have plagued his time with the Reds, with the former RB Leipzig star restricted to just 22 Premier League outings in the last term. Furthermore, Konate only made 11 league appearances in his first season, followed by 18 appearances in his second year.

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Last term, his season ended with something of a whimper after he was suspended by Jurgen Klopp for seven of the Reds’ final ten games on his return from a thigh problem. Of the three games in which the 16-time international played in that block of games, Liverpool went down twice – with losses coming at Crystal Palace and Everton.

Having lost his spot in the team this time around, with youngster Jarrell Quansah heavily favored over him during that time, it seems Konate was determined to keep the balance. Speaking to Le Monde about how the end of the campaign unfolded, he said: “Relegation is not the right word. There has been nothing at stake in Liverpool’s recent games.

“If that was the case, I would have been in a different mood and I would have spoken to the coach. But I worked twice as hard on my own, in addition to my club training, to be ready for this Euro. Mentally, I have nothing to say. Physically, I’m still missing some game time on my feet, but I’m not worried.

Discussing how he has managed to deal with setbacks in his career, the Frenchman revealed that he does it through the following means: “Telling myself that a career is short and now is not the time to falter. Sometimes, when I’ Lying in bed, I tell myself that if I hadn’t been injured, I would have been really strong, maybe the best central defender today.

“But that’s part of being a footballer,” he continued, in a telling remark about the mental fortitude required of players operating at the highest level. “It doesn’t stop me from going forward, and on the contrary, it gives me a steel mentality. On the field and in my private life.”

As the defensive colossus prepares to take on Van Dijk for France in their Euro 2024 match against the Netherlands, Konate also spoke glowingly of his Liverpool team-mate. In a wide-ranging discussion, the defender also spoke of his admiration for the Reds and Holland skipper, saying: “For me, he’s the best.”

“I’m trying to get better from him. What I learned from him: his calmness, his serenity. And then there’s his aura. Some strikers have already lost psychologically, even before the duel with him. That’s the goal mine, to intimidate the opponent so that, in future matches, he goes to fight the duel with another player”.