Konate reveals depression after deaths of Jota & father

Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Ibrahima Konate joined Liverpool from RB Leipzig in 2021 By Steve Sutcliffe BBC Sport journalist Published 5 minutes ago Former Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate has opened up on how the deaths of team-mate Diogo Jota and his father left him battling depression during his final season at the club. Portugal forward Jota and his brother Andre Silva, tragically died in a car crash last July , while Konate's dad, Hamady, passed away in January after a long illness. The France international's form was visibly affected in his final campaign at Anfield and the 27-year-old has now outlined the personal turmoil he was going through. "There are low points, there's depression. You can suffer from depression in football too; there's no need to be ashamed to say so," he told France Inter radio. , external "It's true that I've often heard players say they were suffering from depression and that fans or people on the outside didn't understand because they were earning a lot of money. But no, that's rubbish and you shouldn't say that. "Depression is personal; it's deep inside you. When you're depressed, it starts in the heart, goes up to the brain and takes over your whole body. For me, that's what's hard, and we need to talk about it." Konate, who is closing in on a move to Real Madrid after his Anfield departure was confirmed last week, said the tragic death of Jota, who was also one of his neighbours during his time on Merseyside, had a shattering impact. "It devastated me. I didn't have any interest in anything else at that point," he added. "You go back to football because you have no choice. We're employees at a club that pays us every month, so we have duties. "We had no choice but to go back on the field and play for him and his family – as well as ourselves. There's no way of getting over it, but you learn to live with it." Image source, Getty Images Image caption, The Diogo Jota's funeral was attended by huge names from across football, including former team-mates like Konate During this difficult period Konate was also carrying the burden of knowing his father was seriously ill. "I didn't know what to do. I didn't know whether I should go home and stop playing, because the team needed me too," he added. "I didn't know who to talk to about it, so I kept it all to myself. And this is the advice I'd give to everyone: when you're feeling down or something's going on, you need to talk to those around you. "It can help you and do you good. I didn't talk about it and kept it to myself. "The doctors then told us he didn't have long to live, but we didn't know it would happen so quickly." Konate returned early from compassionate leave to help Liverpool avert an injury crisis at the end of January but the centre-back conceded that things were never quite right. He made 51 appearances across the 2025-26 campaign, 49 as a starter, but was unable to consistently produce the best form he had displayed across his previous