Ibrahima Konate will leave Liverpool this summer and admits he's been hugely impacted by two tragic deaths in his life - the first Diogo Jota and then his father
Ibrahima Konate has discussed the impact of two huge losses in his life
Ibrahima Konate has discussed the impact of two huge losses in his life(Image: Getty Images)
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Ibrahima Konate has opened up on the tragic deaths of Diogo Jota and his father, who both passed away inside a year, massively impacting the outgoing Liverpool defender.
The Frenchman has failed to agree a new deal at Anfield and will leave on a free this summer, likely moving to Real Madrid. He had a mixed campaign on the pitch but was dealing with personal tragedy, much like the rest of his team-mates.
Jota died in the summer after he and his brother were involved in a car crash, which took both their lives. It stunned all those at Liverpool and has been cited as a contributing factor behind their struggles this term.
Konate admits he still hasn't come to terms with the loss with the Portuguese star also his neighbour, meaning they had even more interactions.
He told France Inter radio station: "Even today it’s hard to believe. His locker was still there in the dressing room, and every day when I was going to training he was coming with us. I remember when I found out I was in Los Angeles and I couldn’t believe it. It devastated me.
"I didn’t have any interest in anything else at that point. It was the last person anyone would have chosen this to happen to. He just wanted to be happy and to have a good time with his team-mates and his family. He wasn’t interested in fame. He was my neighbour as well, so I shared a few more moments with him. It was something powerful that happened to all of us."
Konate added: "You go back to football because you have no choice. We’re employees at a club that pays us every month, so we have duties. I think every fan was affected by this too, and I think all that we can do to help them is by winning games. We had no choice but to go back on the field and play for him and his family – as well as ourselves. There’s no way of getting over it, but you learn to live with it."
The entirety of Liverpool was impacted by Diogo Jota's death
The entirety of Liverpool was impacted by Diogo Jota's death(Image: Getty Images)
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Konate was also dealing with family tragedy as his father, Hamady, suffered with a serious illness and later died in January. "At the start of the season, my father was in hospital for several weeks," he said. "And actually, in my situation, I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know whether I should go home and stop playing, because the team needed me too.
"I didn’t know who to talk to about it, so I kept it all to myself. And this is the advice I’d give to everyone: when you’re feeling down or something’s going on, you need to talk to those around you. It can help you and do you good. I didn’t talk about it and kept it to myself. The doctors then told us he didn’t have long to live, but we didn’t know it would happen so quickly."
Konate returned early from compassionate leave to help an injury-hit Liverpool in late January but confessed: "There was never a moment when I felt like I was on the mend."
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