Jota And My Father’s Deaths Sent Me Into Depression – Konate

Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate has revealed that the devastating losses of his father and his teammate Diogo Jota plunged him into a deep depression during his last campaign with the club.

Portuguese forward Jota and his brother Andre Silva were killed in a car crash last July. Just months later, Konate’s father, Hamady, passed away in January following a prolonged illness.

The 27-year-old French international admits his performances suffered significantly as he struggled to cope with the emotional weight he was carrying.

“There are moments when you hit rock bottom. Depression doesn’t spare footballers, and there’s no shame in admitting it,” Konate told France Inter radio.

“I’ve heard people say that fans don’t understand because players earn so much money. That’s nonsense. Depression isn’t about your bank account. It starts in your heart, takes over your mind, and consumes your entire being. We need to talk about it more.”

Konate, who has confirmed he will leave Liverpool this summer and is reportedly close to joining Real Madrid, said Jota’s death hit him harder than anything he had experienced.

“It destroyed me. I lost interest in everything,” he said. “I went back to training because I had no choice. The club pays us, and we have responsibilities. We had to step onto the pitch for him, for his family, and for ourselves. You never truly get over it, but you learn to live alongside the pain.”

Jota’s funeral drew football’s biggest names, including many of his former Liverpool teammates like Konate.

During that same period, Konate was also dealing with the knowledge that his father was terminally ill.

“I was completely lost. Should I go home and stop playing? The team needed me,” he recalled. “I didn’t know who to confide in, so I buried everything inside. My advice to anyone struggling: talk to the people around you. Keeping it all in only makes it worse. The doctors told us his time was short, but we never expected it to happen so fast.”

Konate cut short his compassionate leave to help Liverpool through an injury crisis in late January. Still, he admits he was never truly himself. He made 51 appearances in the 2025-26 season — 49 as a starter — but his form was inconsistent as Liverpool finished fifth in the Premier League.

Now part of Didier Deschamps’ 26-man World Cup squad with France, Konate reflected on his slow recovery.

“I never felt like I was getting better,” he said. “Everything happened so fast. Just when I thought I could breathe again, another tragedy struck.

“The fans at Liverpool were incredible, my teammates and family supported me, but in the end I had to learn to stand on my own because the team needed me. I know my father would have wanted me to keep going.”