Konate Reveals Battles With Depression After Deaths of Teammate Jota and His Father

Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate said the deaths of teammate Diogo Jota in July 2025 and his father Hamady in January 2026 left him battling depression during his final season at the club. Konate, 27, told France Inter radio that the loss of Jota, who lived near him on Merseyside, devastated him. "It devastated me.

I didn't have any interest in anything else at that point," he said. He added that players had no choice but to return to the field. "We're employees at a club that pays us every month, so we have duties," Konate said.

Konate also described keeping his father's illness private. "I didn't know whether I should go home and stop playing, because the team needed me too," he said. " Doctors told the family that Hamady Konate did not have long to live, but the timeline moved faster than expected.

Konate returned early from compassionate leave at the end of January 2026 to help Liverpool through an injury crisis. He made 51 appearances in the 2025-26 season, starting 49, as Liverpool finished fifth in the Premier League. "There was never a moment when I felt like I was on the mend," Konate said.

Konate said he received support from Liverpool fans, teammates and family, but still had to recover largely on his own. "I know that my father would have wanted me to get back," he said. He urged others facing similar struggles to speak openly.

"When you're feeling down or something's going on, you need to talk to those around you," Konate said. "Depression is personal; it's deep inside you. " Konate joined Liverpool from RB Leipzig in 2021.

He has been capped 27 times by France and is part of Didier Deschamps' 26-man squad for the World Cup.