Ibrahima Konate says he is inspired to win trophies for “incredible” team-mate Mo Salah, hoping the striker can win the Ballon d’Or for the first time.
“Everything he’s done since the start of the season, even after he played for Liverpool, it’s crazy what he’s done,” laughed the Frenchman when asked about Salah’s contribution to Liverpool. » in the championship fight.
He is effusive in his praise of the 32-year-old, and why not.Conventional wisdom has Salah past his prime as he looks to end his days at the top of the game.
Instead, he’s posting the best numbers of his career to lead Erling Haaland in the Golden Boot race, averaging a goal every 57 minutes.
Most of his contributions speak for themselves, but not the support behind closed doors for his teammates.
That’s what motivates Konate to return the favor in line with his personal ambitions, and why he wants to help the striker surpass his previous Ballon d’Or best of fifth place and win the trophy next October.
“I really hope that this season we can achieve great things, because if he continues like this, I think he can win the Ballon d’Or at the end of the season.”
“He will never say that because I think his goal is to achieve great things with Liverpool. He doesn’t really think about himself like. wants to win the game.
“He just wants to share his experience with new players, young players. And for me to be a player like that at his age and be so professional.”
Konate has been impressed by Salah but knew the heights the striker could reach before joining him at Anfield in 2021 from RB Leipzig.
After a burgeoning three-year relationship and becoming the Dutchman’s first-choice partner, he feels the pair can not only rival Gabriel and William Saliba as the Premier League’s best centre-back pairing, but anyone in world football.
“What a defender!” he smiles again. “When I was in Leipzig and I watched a few Liverpool games, I didn’t realize how good he was.
“And when I came here, sometimes I thought, no, how is that possible, he’s too good. When I first came here, he gave me a lot of advice and helped me adjust.
“Now on the pitch, how I need him, I think it’s the same for him. We just work together and try to be the best partnership in the world.
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Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has expressed hope that Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk will stay at Liverpool amid contract talks and take them to Red Bull.
“Some forwards see Virgil and they’re like, ‘Okay, now I don’t have a chance against him.’ They don’t give 100 percent.”
That chemistry has been helped by Arne Slott since replacing Jurgen Klopp at Anfield, a balance the affable manager was hailed as the best in world football by his predecessor earlier this week.
Konate isn’t afraid to compare the two and believes Slott’s amount of control has improved the team after nine years of heavy metal football under the Klopp dynasty. Liverpool have a stronger defense than in three of the previous four seasons.
He says: “(Trent Alexander-Arnold) helps a lot when we attack, which leaves me a lot of space to defend. But the way the manager has explained to us to all defend together has helped me and the team a lot.
“If you can see and compare to last season or the season before, we were more exposed. But now when we lose the ball, everyone is trying to help the team and I think we are more together.
“Nobody expected the coach to do what he has done since the beginning of the season. He has a great understanding of how to play, he knows what to do and it’s not about adapting to the other team. I think this makes a big difference. for us compared to Jurgen’s time.’
