Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konaté has returned to the France squad this month after missing out on September’s international break due to an injury.
Les Bleus will take on the Netherlands in the European qualifiers before facing Scotland in a friendly tie in the next few days. The clash against Oranje will see the centre-back come up against his Liverpool teammate Virgil van Dijk.
Le Parisien have interviewed the 24-year-old and he’s explained the need to perform well for the club in order to retain his place in the national team. Konaté also insisted that he doesn’t take his place in the France squad for granted.
The newspaper then asked the former RB Leipzig man whether Van Dijk has been his role model, and when responding to that, he agreed but stated he aspires to even greater things.
“There are very few defenders who have managed to have as good a career as him. I learn a lot alongside him. My goal, and he knows it, is to have a better career than him. My No.1 has long been Sergio Ramos,” he said.
Ramos, who’s now at Sevilla, was part of the Real Madrid squad that defeated Liverpool in the Champions League final in 2018. In the same time tie, the Spaniard was involved in an incident which left Reds star Mohamed Salah injured.
The France international was also asked if he’s Raphaël Varane’s successor in the national team.
“Not yet. It’s one of my goals but I’m still far from everything he’s won, his track record, everything Raphaël Varane has achieved,” Konaté explained.
