Joel Matip has lavished praise on Liverpool’s World Cup hero, Ibrahima Konate.
The France international didn’t quite go all the way, but Konate certainly enhanced his reputation as a rising star in world football.
Still only 23, the former Leipzig powerhouse, a £36 million signing in 2021 [Guardian], helped Les Bleus finish second in what wound up being a thrilling tournament in Qatar, culminating a pulsating final which Argentina edged on penalties.
The Paris-born defender played in five games overall – starting three of them – and Matip has gushed over his Liverpool teammate.
He told the club’s official website: “He’s so young and [he has] so much quality already.
“He’s showed that now again with the national team – with an amazing team. He’s shown the class he’s got. He’s self-confident, nice, and a really kind person. Especially [at] this age, it’s amazing what he can do. He’s strong in challenges, in the air, on the ground, the pace, [he’s] comfortable with the ball – it’s everything you need [as a defender].”
Matip isn’t wrong, is he?
People have been calling Virgil van Dijk the world’s finest central defender in recent years and, honestly, they’re absolutely correct.
But only since joining Liverpool back in 2018, when he was 26.
For comparison, Konate is, as mentioned, only 23 and there’s every possibility he could blossom into a better player than his Reds colleague.
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