Ibrahima Konaté has revealed the profound mental health struggles he endured following a year of personal tragedy, including the death of his former Liverpool teammate Diogo Jota and his father, Hamady. The 27-year-old defender, who is reportedly set to join Real Madrid after not renewing his Liverpool contract, spoke candidly about experiencing depression.
“There are low points, there’s depression,” Konaté said. “You can suffer from depression in football too; there’s no need to be ashamed to say so.” He dismissed the notion that high earnings should preclude such struggles, stating, “Depression is personal; it’s deep inside you.”
The France international described the impact of Jota’s death in a car crash on the eve of pre-season training. “It devastated me. I didn’t have any interest in anything else at that point,” he said, adding that returning to football was a duty. “There’s no way of getting over it, but you learn to live with it.”
Konaté also carried the burden of his father’s long illness, which ended in January. “I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know whether I should go home and stop playing,” he recalled. He advised others to talk about their feelings, admitting he kept his struggles to himself initially.
Despite compassionate leave, Konaté returned early to help Liverpool during a defensive injury crisis, scoring on his emotional comeback against Newcastle. However, he acknowledged, “There was never a moment when I felt like I was on the mend.” He credited the support of fans, teammates, and family but stressed the need to “get back on my feet on my own.”
