France returned to training after their first victory in this World Cup against Senegal.Deschamps He knows that having the group activated is not easy because a good part of the 26 players are not going to have hardly any minutes in the competition. For this reason, he organized a little game for the substitutes against a youth team from the New England Revolution, the MLS club from Boston.
For the kids it was an unforgettable game. They were impressed with Kanté, with the quality of Cherki and with the central defender who closed with the red bib, Ibrahima Konaté. At the end of the game, they chatted with journalists: “He’s a force of nature, he’s impressive, really,” commented the academy players after immortalizing the
In France they see Konaté triumphing in Madrid
The fact is that it is not a good season for Konaté. The best thing is that he can now focus on the World Cup although he will not have many options given that Saliba and Upamecano are the starting centre-backs and they will not rotate except out of obligation or because in a third match against Norway France was already classified. However, yesterday’s game was good for him to not lose sensations and he seemed focused, one of the best along with Kanté or Barcola.
Added to his replacement is a difficult year and a half at Liverpool. The death of his father and the death in a traffic accident of his partner Diogo Jota and his brother took their toll on him. He himself admitted it a few months ago. Madrid has therefore been an escape route by announcing this Thursday his signing until 2030.
In France they see him triumphing in Madrid
MARCA has interviewed several French journalists who have seen Konaté in Clairefontaine over the years. “I think he is going to succeed, he comes out of a complicated campaign but for extra-sporting reasons, he had a very special relationship with his father. He is an excellent defender, one hundred percent he can play in any big team. He is very powerful, when he shakes your hand you realize his strength, he is a monster physically, bulky, tactically ready, a modern centre-back. He is the centre-back in France and now he does not have all the confidence, but he is going to regain it in Madrid”, comments Baptiste Desprez, from Le Figaro.
The one who does not see it so clearly is Jean-François Pérès, from Le Journal de Dimanche. “I think it will be difficult for him, he is a highly appreciated defender in France, but this last campaign at Liverpool has been very irregular. Four years ago in the national team it was thought that he was going to be France’s centre-back for many years but that has not been the case. Saliba has passed him by. We hope that in Madrid he can relaunch his career, but right now I see it as difficult for him to prevail in Madrid.”
Mbappé, training analyst for a day
Regarding his profile, he does not doubt his capabilities: “Very physical, hard on the scoreboard, many winning duels in the crosses. He has the power and technique of modern centre-backs. The small problem is that physical decline that he has had at Liverpool and that has affected his confidence and in that sense he has to recover his morale, to find a smile and confidence in him because it gives the impression that he has lost it.”
Julien Froment, of Radio France, He believes that Konaté will prevail: “He is going to succeed in Madrid, tough on the mark, an athlete and he is a good person for a locker room like Madrid’s. He is fast, intelligent in the game, a modern center back.”
