Konate said Van Dijk was too strong and teased him for stealing the show

Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate has joked that he is "frustrated" playing alongside Virgil van Dijk as the Reds captain always steals the show.

At present, Konate and Van Dijk form one of the most stable central defender combinations in the Premier League. This season, under the coaching of Arne Sloter, Liverpool has occupied a favorable position in the Premier League standings, and their defense has also contributed greatly. So far, the Reds have only conceded 27 goals in the 2024-25 season, second only to Arsenal, and are the second team with the fewest goals conceded in the league.

However, the French defender "complained" in an interview that partnering with a world-class central defender like Van Dijk means that his personal performance is often overlooked, and all the praise seems to fall on the Dutchman. Despite this, Konate still expressed great respect for Van Dijk and said that he learned a lot from the defensive leader.

"We all know Virgil's quality, how special he is and how well he has performed over the years," Konate told Sky Sports. "He's really strong. I learned a lot from him and he gave me a lot of advice when I first arrived at the team. I said before that one day I will be better than you, so I train hard every day to achieve this goal."

"I could have won a lot of Man of the Match awards this season. It's great to play with Virgil, he's a top player. But sometimes people watch games and think it's just Van Dijk playing. 'No, I'm playing too!' I've had good performances but people only see Van Dijk."

"Of course, I'm not jealous of him, but if you watch the game carefully, you will understand the truth."