‘There are low points’: Ibrahima Konaté reveals struggles in year of personal tragedy Ibrahima Konaté has detailed the profound personal tragedies he endured over a difficult year, including the deaths of former Liverpool teammate Diogo Jota and his father. The defender discusses how these events led to depression, impacting his form, and emphasizes the importance of speaking openly about mental health struggles in football. Despite the immense grief, Konaté found the strength to return to playing, driven by his duties to the club and the desires of his late father.

• Ibrahima Konaté experienced significant personal tragedy in a single year, with the deaths of former teammate Diogo Jota and his father.
• The defender revealed he suffered from depression due to these losses, stressing that mental health struggles are valid regardless of a person’s profession or earnings.
• Konaté experienced the death of his neighbour Jota and Jota’s brother in a crash just before pre-season training.
• His father, Hamady, passed away after a long illness in January, which made Konaté’s personal turmoil apparent.
• He advises others to talk about their feelings when feeling down, a lesson he learned from keeping his own struggles to himself.
• Despite his grief, Konaté returned to playing, feeling a duty to the club and knowing his father would have wanted him to continue.