Ibrahima Konate has shared his struggle with depression following the deaths of teammate Diogo Jota and his father. The Liverpool defender emphasized the impact of personal loss on his performance during his final season.
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Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate has opened up on how the deaths of team-mate Diogo Jota and his father left him battling depression during his final season at the club.
Portugal forward Jota and his brother Andre Silva, tragically died in a car crash last July, while Konate's dad Hamady passed away in January after a long illness.
The France international's form was visibly affected in his final campaign at Anfield and the 27-year-old has now outlined the personal turmoil he was going through.
"There are low points, there's depression. You can suffer from depression in football too; there's no need to be ashamed to say so," he told France Inter radio., external
"It's true that I've often heard players say they were suffering from depression and that fans or people on the outside didn't understand because they were earning a lot of money. But no, that's rubbish and you shouldn't say that.
"Depression is personal; it's deep inside you. When you're depressed, it starts in the heart, goes up to the brain and takes over your whole body. For me, that's what's hard, and we need to talk about it."
Konate, who is closing in on a move to Real Madrid after confirming he will leave Anfield this summer, said the tragic death of Jota, who was one of his neighbours during his time on Merseyside, had a shattering impact.
"It devastated me. I didn't have any interest in anything else at that point," he added.
"You go back to football because you have no choice. We're employees at a club that pays us every month, so we have duties.
"We had no choice but to go back on the field and play for him and his family – as well as ourselves. There's no way of getting over it, but you learn to live with it."
Image caption,
The Diogo Jota's funeral was attended by huge names from across football, including former team-mates like Konate
During this difficult period Konate was also carrying the burden of knowing his father was seriously ill.
Ibrahima Konate's depression was triggered by the deaths of his teammate Diogo Jota and his father Hamady.
Konate's form was visibly affected during his final season at Anfield due to the personal turmoil he experienced from these losses.
Konate stated that depression can affect football players and emphasized that there should be no shame in discussing mental health struggles.
Diogo Jota died in a car crash last July, while Konate's father Hamady passed away in January after a long illness.
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"I didn't know what to do. I didn't know whether I should go home and stop playing, because the team needed me too," he added.
"I didn't know who to talk to about it, so I kept it all to myself. And this is the advice I'd give to everyone: when you're feeling down or something's going on, you need to talk to those around you.
"It can help you and do you good. I didn't talk about it and kept it to myself.
"The doctors then told us he didn't have long to live, but we didn't know it would happen so quickly."
Konate returned early from compassionate leave to help Liverpool avert an injury crisis at the end of January but the centre-back conceded that things were never quite right.
He made 51 appearances across the 2025-26 campaign, 49 as a starter, but was unable to consistently produce the best form he had displayed across his previous four seasons on Merseyside as Liverpool finished fifth in the Premier League.
Konate, who has been capped 27 times by France, is part of Didier Deschamps' 26-man squad for the World Cup, with Les Bleus among the favourites.
"There was never a moment when I felt like I was on the mend," he added.
"All of these tragic events happened so quickly and as soon as I felt like I was getting my head above water, something else happened.
"I had the support of all these fans, who are exceptional at Liverpool, my team-mates and especially my family but I also had to learn how to get back on my feet on my own because the team needed me more than ever and I know that my father would have wanted me to get back."
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, information and support can be found at the BBC's Action Line.