Ibrahima Konate risks angering Liverpool fans as he names his number one football idol

Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate has named his number one footballing idol - but his answer may not impress Reds fans.

The Frenchman has now established himself as a regular member of the Liverpool side when fully fit, partnering Virgil van Dijk at the centre of defence.

But the 24-year-old's start to this season has been disrupted by injury, meaning he has been in out of the team since the beginning of the campaign.

He is in the midst of his third season at Liverpool, having joined from RB Leipzig back in 2021.

In his first season, he helped the Reds to reach the Champions League final, where they lost 1-0 to Real Madrid in Paris thanks to Vinicius Junior's second half goal.

It was certainly a changed Real side to the one that beat Liverpool 3-1 in the 2018 final. And Konate, perhaps controversially from a Liverpool perspective, named a key member of that side as his footballing idol.

He explained (quotes via Daily Mirror): "There are very few defenders who have managed to have as good a career as [Van Dijk]. I learn a lot alongside him. My goal, and he knows it, is to have a better career than him.

"My number one [idol] has long been Sergio Ramos."

Any mention of Ramos' name usually isn't met too kindly by a large number of Liverpool fans, given that a clash with Mohamed Salah during the 2018 final led to the Egyptian suffering a dislocated shoulder after his arm became 'trapped' under Ramos' weight.

After Salah's substitution at 0-0, Liverpool's threat going forward appeared to dip, and Jurgen Klopp's side would go on to taste a devastating defeat in Kyiv.

Following the game, Ramos took to Twitter to wish Salah well: "Sometimes football shows you its good side and other times the bad. Above all, we are fellow pros. Get well soon @MoSalah."

The incident caused furore among some parts of the footballing world, however, with even the European Judo Union getting involved to condemn the challenge.

Ramos, who now plays for Sevilla, said it had been 'blown out of all proportion' in another interview, and added that Salah's other arm, not the one that he fell on, was the one that got injured.

But the Spaniard has become something of a pantomime villain at Anfield now - meaning Konate's admission may well not be viewed well by some fans.

Topics: Ibrahima Konate, Liverpool, Virgil Van Dijk, Premier League

Ryan Smart

Live in constant hope of the top flight as a Preston North End fan. Written in the past for SPORF, GiveMeSport and more.