Ibrahima Konaté

Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate is eyeing a call-up to Didier Deschamps' France squad.

Liverpool defender returns for Saturday’s Champions League final to the city where he once played with a ball made of paper

Ibrahima Konate left Paris as a 14-year-old with a dream of just being a professional footballer but he returns to his home city for the Champions League final aiming to become the best defender in the world.The Frenchman grew up in the city’s 11th arrondissement within five miles of the Stade de France, where Saturday’s showpiece against Real Madrid takes place.He played street football in the cages interspersed among the flats and apartment buildings but did not actually get to the national stadium until he had left for Sochaux as a 14-year-old and returned to watch the club’s under-18s win...

It is a tale of Sellotape and paper, of foam and leather and plastic. It was football, but not as Ibrahima Konate knows it now, not least because the objects he kicked may not even qualify as footballs. He has been on a long journey to take him a short way, from the 11th arrondissement of Paris to the Stade de France. It is about 10km but he has taken the long route, via Sochaux, Leipzig and Liverpool.When the boy from the banlieues of the French capital lines up in the Champions League final, it will differ from the games...

There’s nothing new or secretive anymore about how good Liverpool’s recruitment is, with January transfer window signing Luis Diaz making regular headlines to reinforce that fact this year.The Colombian has been in town for only 107 days, yet already has six goals, countless man of the match performances and even two trophies to his name since signing. To underline the good decision he made to join - and the choice of the Reds in signing him - the other club who tried to nab him in winter, Tottenham, have won two trophies since March 1999. That’s 8,460 days ago, to...

Ibrahima Konate admits he could never have imagined the possibility of playing a part in making history with Liverpool – and certainly not so rapidly.Since arriving last summer from RB Leipzig for £36million, the 22-year-old has quickly established himself as a more-than-reliable central-defensive partner for Virgil van Dijk.The Frenchman has started six of the last seven Champions League matches, scored the crucial opening goal against Manchester City in last month’s FA Cup semi-final and is set to be named in the side at Wembley again when they face Chelsea in the final.#UCLFINAL! 😍 Paris je suis de retour !🇫🇷 #YNWA...

Ibrahima Konate has admitted he could not have dreamt of being part of the extraordinary and historic season Liverpool are enjoying.The defender, who signed from RB Leipzig last summer, is set to mark his first year at Anfield with an appearance in the FA Cup final as Liverpool continue their quest for the quadruple.Konate has already played at Wembley twice, converting his penalty in the Carabao Cup final shootout win over Chelsea and opening the scoring in the FA Cup semi-final victory over Manchester City.The 23-year-old has also played in every minute of the Champions League quarter- and semi-finals, scoring...

Konate was at the center of most of the key action as Liverpool beat Benfica 2-1 in Tuesday's first leg of their Champions League quarter-final in Lisbon.

After an unprecedented injury crisis at the back wrecked Liverpool's title defence last season, the club's famed transfer committee highlighted just one area of the team that needed strengthening this campaign - the centre of defence. Manager Jurgen Klopp also knew exactly who he wanted as the club's only summer...

Leeds United travel to Anfield on Wednesday night following their disappointing loss at home to Manchester United on Sunday afternoon. The last time the Reds faced the Yorkshire team, they came out 3-0 winners in an eventful clash at Elland Road. Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino remain sidelined due to...

There was a thundering cry from those of a home persuasion on the San Siro terraces as a familiar sight materialised in front of them: Denzel Dumfries storming down the right at speed.He’d gotten in behind Virgil van Dijk and sized up a low cross to set up a certain goal for Edin Dzeko, waiting free in Liverpool’s box. The delivery didn’t reach the intended target, Ibrahima Konate intercepted the ball with a last-gasp slide that drew massive appreciation from Alisson.Jurgen Klopp applauded wildly on the touchline, but that was just one noteworthy episode in a whole series of them...

Luis Diaz got acquainted with several of Liverpool’s first-teamers on his first day in Merseyside, with one fan spotting Ibrahima Konate debuting a new look in a snap capturing the Frenchman’s meeting with Luis Diaz in the changing rooms. The former RB Leipzig star sported a clean-shaven scalp...

Former Liverpool player and England international John Barnes has been speaking recently about Jurgen Klopp's rich options in the centre of defence. Last season, the Reds were plunged into crisis after long term injuries to Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip. Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams came to the rescue and played their part in steering Liverpool into a third-place finish.