Ibrahima Konate has revealed details of a conversation he shared with Jurgen Klopp before he joined Liverpool last year and has admitted he’s been blown away by the size of the club.
The Frenchman joined from RB Leipzig in a £36m deal and performed superbly whenever called upon last term – including a standout performance in our Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid in Paris.
Although our No. 5 is yet to feature this campaign due to the knee injury he sustained during pre season, the 23-year-old is now back in training and has been speaking about what it’s like playing for the Anfield outfit.
“Liverpool is an amazing place and a mythical club,” Konate told Onze Mondial (via This Is Anfield).
“I remember, before I signed, I had the coach on the phone. He said to me: ‘The day you sign for Liverpool, it will not be the same for you, your life will change.
“Wherever you travel in the world, you will see for yourself what I am telling you. In my head I was thinking: ‘OK, fine, it’s an incredible club with a great history, but chill’.
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“I travelled, I went to Zanzibar this summer, and I was taking at least 50 photos a day. And then his sentence came back into my head. I thought: ‘This is insane’.
“As a kid, I knew Liverpool was a big club, but I didn’t imagine it like this. It’s way above my expectations in every way.”
Liverpool are one of the biggest clubs in world football and no matter where the players go they’re bound to be recognised due to our global fanbase.
It’s great to see that the Paris-born defender has recognised what an honour it is to play for the mighty Reds and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for him.
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With him now returning to fitness and being named on the bench against Rangers on Tuesday, he will be hungry to earn some minutes in the coming weeks with half an eye on the World Cup that begins next month.
Konate made his international debut for France back in June and will be hoping to be a part of Didier Deschamps’ squad for Qatar.
His primary focus, however, will be on Liverpool and ensuring he gets back to the player he was before his injury.
“Today I am at Liverpool, and the truth is, I hardly see a superior club,” he added.
“When you are here, you have everything: a great club, a great history, always in the running to win the Champions League, the Premier League and all the trophies with magnificent supporters.
“I’m 23 and it’s a club where I could end my career. This club is among the top three clubs in the world.
“But you also need quality to finish your career here!”