​France and Real Madrid defender Ibrahima Konaté spoke to the media ahead of Les Bleus’ World Cup semi-final against Spain, addressing his recent move to the Spanish giants, France’s standout tournament, and the formidable challenge facing Didier Deschamps’ squad. Konaté also opened up about the atmosphere inside the French camp, responded to comments from Spain star Lamine Yamal, and reflected on France’s previous defeat by La Roja.
The center-back acknowledged that signing for Real Madrid remains surreal even though it fulfills a lifelong dream. “Real Madrid is the biggest club in history. It’s an exceptional club. And how do I experience it? It’s a dream. But at the same time, it feels strange because, until you actually put on that shirt, I don’t think you truly grasp what it means.” He noted that France have stood out for their attacking prowess in the tournament, but stressed that their success runs deeper than the forwards. “It’s normal that people are talking about what we’ve shown since the start of this competition, because what we’re offering in attack is quite exceptional. But I think it all stems from a collective effort. I’m talking about the midfielders, the defenders, even Mike (Maignan). Honestly, what the team is doing is exceptional. Even the players coming off the bench… it’s incredible.”
When asked about Spain’s teenage sensation, Konaté said the focus is on Spain as a whole rather than on one individual. “To be perfectly honest, we’re not specifically thinking about defending Lamine Yamal. Spain is an exceptional team, with many outstanding individual players. But the goal isn’t to focus on just one player, because the whole team can hurt you. It’s not just Lamine, it’s the whole of Spain.”
Describing the squad’s mood, Konaté joked before clarifying how the atmosphere shifts on matchday. “Bad. (Laughs) No, I say that because we have the ability to completely switch gears. The day before the match or during training, we’re joking around, everyone’s laughing, there’s a very childlike atmosphere, in the best sense of the word, although at the same time we remain very serious. But when the match arrives, even on the bus to the stadium, you see that each player enters a completely different state of mind. They all have the same obsession: to win. We all share the same common goal. That’s why I use that word to describe us.”
Konaté also downplayed pre-match mind games after Yamal suggested France should be the ones feeling fear. “No. In all honesty, we don’t pay attention to everything that’s being said about the match. We shouldn’t be afraid of anyone. The important thing is to maintain the humility with which we started this competition and not fall into those kinds of traps.”