Born in the French capital, Ibrahima Konate spent time at Paris FC and Sochaux before moving to RB Leipzig, where the young centre-back spent four years playing in the Bundesliga, where he developed his reputation, before seeking a new home at Anfield in July 2021.
At Liverpool, he has now secured his place as an absolute regular and forms a solid final line with Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk. He is also adept at covering for England defender Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has defensive concerns, and protects wide areas with speed and strength.
Ralf Rangnick, who laid the foundations for the football developed by the Red Bull Group, shared his memories of the 25-year-old, who has become a regular in the French national team. He revealed that he was convinced of his success the moment he saw the video and spoke of him as one of Leipzig’s best players.
“I remember very well the day our scouting department in Leipzig showed clips from your Sochaux days. I instantly fell in love with your game“
“I saw straight away you were an amazing person and player with a top-class upbringing. All of the latter proved true. You are without doubt the best signing, or one of the best signings, we did at Leipzig in the last 12 years.“
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The 25-year-old centre-back, whose contract is increasingly likely to be extended until June 2026, is expected to replace Van Dijk in the future and lead the defensive line, learning from the best defenders in the world every day.
Can the Parisian defender, who has a dominant one-on-one defensive response, lead his team to the title and become an Anfield legend.