Ibrahima Konate has named Liverpool team-mate Virgil van Dijk as one of his role models and shared the message from Thiago that prompted his first goal for the club.
Konate made the move to Merseyside from RB Leipzig last summer for a fee of £36million and has firmly established himself in Jurgen Klopp 's side. He made 29 appearances in all competitions this season and got the nod over Joel Matip in the Champions League final last month.
Konate puts the reason he's settled in so well down to the team-mates around him and he believes Van Dijk is the best centre-back in the world - as well as praising Paris Saint-Germain's Sergio Ramos, who infamously injured Mohamed Salah in the 2018 Champions League final when playing for Real Madrid against Liverpool.
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Konate said in a press conference on Tuesday (via RMC Sport ), ahead of France's match against Austria: "My two role models are Sergio Ramos and Virgil Van Dijk. Ramos at Real is the grinta. At Madrid he was a positive leader with lots of goals.
"Not only Van Dijk but all the players like (Joe) Gomez or Matip. They are experienced players who brought me. Van Dijk is the best central defender in the world and he gave me a lot of advice. Every Liverpool player has helped me, in every position like Sadio Mane or Fabinho.
"It's only the beginning and I hope to learn a lot and progress. On my qualities, I think I'm going fast, having intelligence despite my physical qualities. Finally, I'm not afraid of the ball."
Konate scored his first goal for the Reds in April, when he headed home from a corner in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Benfica. He then stepped up a week later with an almost identical finish in the second leg at Anfield before adding to his tally in the semi-final of the FA Cup against Manchester City.
It took a little over eight months for the Frenchman to get on the scoresheet for Liverpool, but he's cited words of encouragement from team-mate Thiago as a key factor that helped him contribute with goals.
Konate, who has been called up to the France senior squad for the first time, added: "Before I didn't believe in myself enough on corners. Thiago Alcantara told me to have confidence because I was tall. It worked for me."
