Tiecoura Konaté: Mali’s 2.01m defender, youth champion at Palmeiras | OneFootball

The Palmeiras became the champion of the Copa Santiago Under-18 last Saturday (17) by defeating Internacional 2-1 in the grand final. One of the highlights of the Palmeiras team was the defender from Mali, Tiecoura Konaté, 18 years old. The player is currently on trial at Verdão and his future at the club is still uncertain.

The defender stands out for his height: 2.01 meters. Currently, within Palmeiras, whether in the youth or professional categories, only the goalkeeper Carlos Miguel, with 2.04 meters.

Konaté went through an exchange period at Verdão's youth academy in mid-2025 and continues to come to Brazil to participate in unofficial tournaments – such as the Copa Santiago Under-18.

The defender is part of Africa Foot, a Malian team that has been investing in the development of young athletes. In the middle of the year, besides Konaté, the winger Mohamed Keita also trained with Palmeiras' lower teams – however, the player did not remain at the Football Academy.

Palmeiras won the Copa Santiago

Palmeiras won the 2026 edition of the Copa Santiago by defeating Internacional 2-1 in the final of the Under-18 tournament held in the city of Santiago-RS, securing the title. The goals for the Academy's Creations were scored by Lucas Gaúcho and Vinicius.

Verdão won all seven matches they played in the competition, with 27 goals scored and four conceded – the team's top scorer in the championship was forward Murilo Felpa, with six goals.

This was the fourth Copa Santiago title won by Palmeiras, who also claimed the trophy in the 2018, 2020, and 2025 editions – last year, the team defeated Grêmio 2-0 in the final.

Palmeiras has been focusing on African football

Palmeiras has been exploring the youth categories of African football. Currently, Verdão has in its Under-20 squad the young Ivorian defender Koné, 18 years old, who trained with the professional team in January and was registered for the Paulista Championship.

The 18-year-old defender, standing at 1.93m, is noted for his physical presence and is regarded as a prodigy within the club. Being a foreigner, the defender, who has been with Palmeiras since 2023, only participated in friendly and unofficial tournaments until he turned 18 in November 2025, when he also signed his first professional contract – the agreement is valid until September 2028.

However, the Ivorian defender could not be registered for the 2026 Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior, as his registration in November exceeded the deadline set by the Federação Paulista de Futebol in October.

Sources heard by NP state that the stay of the Ivorian defender marks the beginning of a new phase in Verdão's youth categories. After many frustrating experiences with young South Americans, the youth academy's management is heavily betting on opening the African market in the country. Learn more about the young Ivorian defender by clicking here.

Watch a video with highlights of the young Malian defender in the Copa Santiago Under-18 published by Paulo Maragoni, from Verdão Info.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.