Marcel Desailly has said that Liverpool colossus Ibrahima Konate has the potential to become one of the two greatest French centre-backs of all time alongside Bayern Munich’s Dayot Upamecano.
The £36 million (Sky Sports) defender has been a revelation since he joined Jurgen Klopp’s side last summer from RB Leipzig.
While Ibrahima Konate is widely viewed as one of the most promising up-and-coming central defenders in the world, Marcel Desailly has gone as far as to say that he could become the greatest, if not the second greatest French centre-back ever.
French legend Marcel Desailly pays Ibrahima Konate the ultimate compliment
Desailly himself is considered as arguably the best centre-back to ever represent Les Bleus, who was also a class act in defensive midfield.
As defensive players go in both the backline and in the middle of the park, the veteran is often hailed as the most complete representative of such a unique phenomenon in football.
Marcel Desailly has now said that alongside Dayot Upamecano, Ibrahima Konate could become the greatest French defender in the nation’s rich history of defensive stalwarts.
“They’re so level-headed and calm but they must improve on falling back defensively and have humility”, he said in an column for L’Equipe.
Desailly also assessed in the column that the pair could potentially become the two greatest centre-backs to ever play for France.
He continued, “Their time is now, I’m convinced. I’m so proud when I watch them that my eyes light up!“
High praise
Considering there is a strong claim for Marcel Desailly to be ranked as the greatest French centre-back in football history himself, the fact that he has predicted Ibrahima Konate to potentially surpass him is a massive compliment.
It is also testament to how high Konate’s ceiling is and why he should get the most out of his potential.
If he manages to do so, perhaps he ends up proving Desailly right.
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