‘I lost all interest in everything’ – Ibrahima Konaté on the loss of Liverpool teammate Diogo Jota | OneFootball

Of the various events that have marked Liverpool FC’s season, the sudden passing of Diogo Jota last July, following a car accident in which his brother André also lost his life, remains the most tragic of all. A friend and teammate of the Porto native, Ibrahima Konaté (27) spoke in an interview with France Inter about the loss of the Portuguese player, mourned by millions of football fans across the globe.

“Even today, it’s hard to take in. To be honest, his locker is still there in the dressing room,” explained the French defender. “Every day at training, he’s still with us. It was brutal; I remember hearing the news when I was in Los Angeles, but I couldn’t believe it. It devastated me. I lost all interest in everything at that moment.”

In Konaté’s eyes, Jota was nothing less than “an exceptional bloke”, who “just wanted to be happy and have a good time with his teammates or his family”. And unsurprisingly, there was a strong bond between the two men, dressing room “neighbours” who shared “a few more moments” than with other teammates.

Celebrated and honoured throughout the season, the Reds’ number 20 was even symbolically included in Portugal’s World Cup squad.

GFFN | Léo Aschi