Ibrahima Konate has joked that he ‘hates’ one of his Liverpool teammates due to a heartbreaking moment in his career.
Leipzig transferred him in 2021 for a reported fee of £36 million.
Since then, the French player has appeared 90 times for Liverpool in all competitions, netting three goals.
Before the new season began, several Liverpool players participated in the ‘I’m passing the phone to’ challenge, which was shared on the club’s social media.
In the video, Konate humorously claimed that he dislikes Alexis Mac Allister following Argentina’s victory over France in the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar. However, it was all in good fun, as Konate also mentioned that he actually admires the Argentine midfielder.
The defender remarked, “I’m passing the phone to someone I both love and hate because I lost the World Cup final to him.” Mac Allister then took the phone and said, “I’m handing the Pixel 9 to the best passer on the team,” referring to Trent Alexander-Arnold. The video also featured Virgil van Dijk, Curtis Jones, Stefan Bajcetic, and Cody Gakpo. You can watch the footage below.
Liverpool will start their 24/25 Premier League season this weekend with a challenging match, as they visit Portman Road to face newly-promoted Ipswich Town on Saturday afternoon.
Ahead of the match, Dutchman Gakpo remarked, “The first day of the season always feels like the first day of school—it’s a very exciting time. We aim to start the season strongly and secure a win, which is why we train so hard during pre-season, even if some of us, including myself, joined later. We are prepared and will strive to play our best football and achieve victory.”
He added, “I’m feeling good, to be honest. After the summer break, I feel great and am really happy to get back to work.”
“I’m very confident. The Euros went well for me, although we lost to England. It was a positive experience for our country too, though we might have done even better. I’m excited to be back, full of confidence, and I need to maintain that level of performance here as well.”
