Cup king Konate dreaming of hometown glory in Paris

IBRAHIMA KONATE is doing his best to listen but he is distracted. He is dealing with a series of questions but his eyes keep darting to a huge picture on a wall at Liverpool’s training centre.

The 23-year-old stares at a projection of Jurgen Klopp, with his back to the camera, hoisting the European Cup above his head on Liverpool’s triumphant tour of their city in June 2019. Written across it is a quote from Klopp: ‘By being together at all times, we will be stronger, better and our successes sweeter.’

‘No, I can’t stop looking!’ says the France Under 21 defender, who was born six miles from the Stade de France, where tomorrow’s final will be staged. ‘For the Champions League, we’re talking about games I watched on TV as a kid.

‘Even the final against Madrid (in 2018), when Liverpool lost, I watched on TV. It’s something that is already part of my history because I’ve seen it with my own eyes. So this is indescribable. I’ve not got the words to explain what winning huge trophies like this one would mean. So when I think about that motto of being together and having this history together, it is beyond words. It is beyond dreams.’

This season has gone better than Konate could have envisaged after signing from RB Leipzig for £36.5million last summer. He played in both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup triumphs, and his pace could be a key weapon in trying to keep Real Madrid at bay.

The stadium, though, adds another layer of romance to Konate’s story. He grew up in Paris, kicking a scrunched-up sheet of newspaper around his neighbourhood. ‘Like most young Parisians we couldn’t get to see football in proper stadiums, we didn’t have the money,’ says Konate.

‘We didn’t play on (proper) pitches. But we found ways to play — even with paper! I’ve been lucky enough to reach this level but it’s not the end. I’ve still got a lot of aims and goals.’

The immediate aim, of course, is helping Liverpool win their seventh European Cup.

‘It’s definitely going to be the best moment of my life,’ Konate says. ‘The Champions League final — in Paris, my home. If I tried I couldn’t have dreamt of anything better.’