Ibrahima Konaté has opened up about a year of profound personal loss, revealing the immense toll it took on his mental health and performance. The France international, who is set to leave Liverpool when his contract expires at the end of the month, endured a period of deep struggle following the death of his teammate Diogo Jota, which was tragically followed by the passing of his father, Hamady.
Konaté directly addressed the stigma surrounding mental health in professional sport, stating: 'There are low points, there’s depression. You can suffer from depression in football too; there’s no need to be ashamed to say so.' He challenged the common misconception that wealth negates mental health issues, adding: 'It’s true that I’ve often heard players say they were suffering from depression and that fans or people on the outside didn’t understand because they were earning a lot of money. But no, that’s rubbish and you shouldn’t say that.'
The defender recounted the devastating impact of the crash that claimed the lives of his teammate and neighbour, Jota, and his brother Andre Silva, just before pre-season training. 'It devastated me. I didn’t have any interest in anything else at that point,' Konaté admitted. Despite his grief, the demands of professional football meant a swift return to the pitch. '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.'
While the squad collectively mourned Jota, Konaté was privately grappling with the severe illness of his father. His form visibly suffered, but the extent of his personal turmoil only became clear in January when his father, Hamady, died after a long illness. '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,' he explained. He confessed to keeping his struggles to himself, a decision he now regrets: 'I didn’t know who to talk to about it, so I kept it all to myself.'
During compassionate leave, Konaté made the decision to return to the team, contacting then head coach Arne Slot to offer his services amidst a defensive injury crisis. He marked his emotional comeback with a goal against Newcastle at Anfield. However, the centre-back acknowledged that he never truly felt a sense of recovery. 'There was never a moment when I felt like I was on the mend,' he revealed. 'All of these tragic events happened so quickly and as soon as I felt like I was getting my head above water, something else happened.'
Despite the immense support from Liverpool fans, teammates, and his family, Konaté recognised the need for personal resilience. 'I also had to learn how to get back on my feet on my own because the team needed me more than ever and I know that my father would have wanted me to get back.'
