Ibrahima Konaté: “I learn a lot alongside . My goal, and he knows it, is to have a better career than him. My number 1 has long been Sergio Ramos."
At the age of 24, Ibrahima Konaté has established himself in the centre of the French team. The Liverpool defender, who has 11 caps to his name, has taken over from Raphaël Varane on the right of the hinge. On Friday, against the Netherlands in Amsterdam in the Euro 2024 qualifiers, he is likely to be partnered by Lucas Hernandez in a fiery encounter. He was at a press conference late this morning in Clairefontaine, Didier Deschamps' Les Bleus headquarters.
How do you feel about the trip to the Netherlands?
It's a big game for us. It's a big game. We saw that in the first leg, they've got quality despite the heavy defeat, and we've got a qualification to go for. They've got revenge to play for, and I'm talking about that with Virgil van Dijk (editor's note: his partner at Liverpool). He told me about a very intense game at home. The Dutch are expecting us to go all the way, but we want to finish top of our group. They know we're a good team.
How do you rate the Netherlands, who you