Ibrahima Konate says he is inspired to win trophies for the “incredible” Mohamed Salah and has advised his Liverpool teammate to win the Ballon d’Or.
The Egyptian forward, 32, is currently enjoying the best season of his illustrious career, scoring 21 goals and 17 assists in 29 appearances for the Premier League title contenders.
Salah has never finished higher than fifth in the Ballon d’Or table, and Konate is determined to help Liverpool win as many trophies as possible to ensure they finally win the prize.
“Everything he’s done since the start of the season, even since he’s been playing for Liverpool, it’s crazy what he’s done,” defender Konate said.
“I really hope we achieve big things this season because if he continues like this, I think at the end of the season he can win the Ballon d’Or.
“He will never say that because I think his goal is just to win big things with Liverpool. He doesn’t really think about himself saying, ‘ok, I want to score more goals, I want to have more assists’ – he just wants to win the game.
“He just wants to share his experience with the new players, the young players. And for me, it’s incredible to be a player like that at his age and to be so professional like that.
Konate on Van Dijk: ‘What a defender’
Konate also reserved praise for his central partner and Reds captain Virgil van Dijk, admitting he was unaware of the Dutch defender’s abilities before his arrival at Anfield.
“What a defender,” he smiled again. “When I was at Leipzig and watching some of Liverpool’s games, I didn’t realize how good he was.
“And when I came here, sometimes I just thought: no, how is this possible? He’s too good. When I arrived here, he gave me a lot of advice and helped me adapt.
“On the pitch now, as I need him, I think it’s the same for him with me. We just work together and try to be the best partnership in the world.
“Some attackers see Virgil and say ‘okay, now I have no chance against him’. They don’t give 100 percent.
Slot against Klopp
The duo’s defensive chemistry has reached another level since manager Arne Slot took over from Jurgen Klopp on Merseyside, with only Arsenal improving the Reds’ defensive record this season.
Konate believes Slot has brought a new level of control and explained the differences between how the backline operates this quarter compared to his years under his German predecessor.
He added: “[Trent Alexander-Arnold] It helps a lot when we attack, which leaves me a large space to defend. But the way the manager explained to us to defend together helped me and the team a lot.
“If you can see and compare with last season or the previous season as well, we were more exposed. But now, when we lose the ball, everyone tries to help the team and I think we are more together.
“No one expected the manager to do what he has been doing since the start of the season. He has a great idea of the game, he knows what to do and it’s not a question of adapting to the other team. I think it makes a lot of difference for us compared to Jurgen.
