Bought for £36m from RB Leipzig in the summer, Ibrahima Konaté might not have played as much football as he’ll have wanted to do for Liverpool this season, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been important.
Scoring three goals in his last three starts under Jürgen Klopp, in both legs of the Champions League quarter finals against Benfica as well as the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City, the French defender has ensured his club remains on course to winning four trophies this season.
While his last Premier League appearance dates back to March 5th against West Ham United, Konaté is quickly becoming a fan favourite at Liverpool, which is thrilling everyone around him.
Ahead of the Champions League semi-final against Villarreal, which many will expect the centre-back to play a part in, Le Parisien sat down with his brother, Sikou, to talk about the Reds man.
Regarding his recent form, he said: “It’s crazy. You can’t even explain it. A few weeks ago, the family told him that what he was lacking was goals, and now he puts three in a row in big games! Benfica twice, Manchester City…”
Starting off with Paris FC at a young age, the now 22-year-old then ended up at Sochaux, where he made a name for himself over three years there, catching the eye of RB Leipzig in the process.
Sikou said: “There were three clubs interested by Ibrahima at the time (2014), including Sochaux and Rennes. If Paris Saint-Germain had come to see him, we don’t know what would have happened…
“However, his choice was well thought out, and looking back, it clearly was the right one looking at the career he has. Now, it’s Liverpool, Anfield…”
