Called up by coach Didier Deschamps for the French national team, the Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konatehe did the exercise of putting himself in the place of Kylian Mbappé star of the France team and Real Madrid.
One of the main stars in world football, Mbappé attracts attention wherever he goes and needs to deal with high doses of pressure, both at the Spanish club and as captain of his country’s national team.
Conditions that even impress teammates, like Konaté himself. “Sometimes I put myself in Kylian’s shoes. If I had all that commotion around me, I don’t know if I could handle it”, analyzed the defender, at a press conference.
Konaté, France defender, under pressure faced by Mbappé
“He may even have a psychological crisis, I have no idea if he has, but I would love to talk to him about it”
“Mbappé has no life”, says France defender
Konaté continued to analyze the conditions faced by Mbappé. “I think he’s not easy to live with. He’s still young, he can handle it. He won everything at a young age,” said the Liverpool defender.
“Everything that revolves around him… He has no life. It must be difficult for him”, reinforced Konaté.
The player also recalled the hostile way in which Mbappé was received by fans of Lille, France, in a match against Real Madrid, in the Champions League. At home, Lille ended up beating Real, while Mbappé was harassed by the fans.
“I don’t understand why. When I played against Toulouse for Liverpool, I was received exceptionally well. It can’t be easy to experience that in your own country,” concluded the French defender.
Mbappé’s name became the subject of debate in France
Recently, Kylian Mbappé’s name once again sparked heated debates in France. After not being called up by the French national team for Nations League matches because of an alleged thigh injury, the Frenchman took to the field for Real Madrid against Lille and Villarreal.
The situation generated outrage among French fans and critics. The coach of the French national team, Didier Deschamps, explained that he had to “prioritize the player’s interests” and that Mbappé would not go “against his club or against the national team”.
The president of the French Football Federation, Phillipe Diallo, also had to come forward and take a stand. “There is nothing above the French team and the national teams,” he declared, after Mbappé’s supposed preference for Real over the French team.
Former French players have harshly criticized the Real Madrid striker. “If you’re injured, you don’t play with your club and you don’t go to the national team. But if you play in the Champions League and are a starter in La Liga, this confuses things,” said Maxime Bossis, a former French national team athlete.