Ibrahima Konate grew up in Paris learning how to play the game in “cages”, sometimes playing with balls of paper held together by Sellotape and dreaming he would be a professional player one day.

He left at 14 to join Sochaux’s boarding academy and vowed to return one day as a pro.

He lived out what he called a “dream” when he played in the Champions League final at the Stade de France in 2022.



That turned into a nightmare when Liverpool lost 1-0 to Real Madrid and for other, more serious reasons, outside of the Saint-Denis stadium.

Arne Slot faces biggest Liverpool test yet after Paris nightmare triggered decline	Liverpool conduct Club Brugge scouting mission	'Smash and grab' Elliott fires Liverpool into the lead in Paris

Now he returns again to the city where he grew up with Liverpool, this time looking for a better result when the Reds take on Paris Saint-Germain at Parc des Princes in a last-16 tie of the European Cup.

Konate, 25, has matured greatly since that final when he last played here in club football.

He may be the partner of Virgil van Dijk, and thus often seen as the sidekick rather than the star defender, but he has played his part in a remarkable season which sees Liverpool racing away with the Premier League, one of the favourites for the Champions League and in a Carabao Cup final.

Ibrahima Konate lost the Champions League final in Paris three years ago.

Konate, a £36million signing from RB Leipzig in 2021, showed his commitment to the team earlier this season when he battled back from a knee injury faster than anticipated after Joe Gomez suffered a problem which left the Reds short at the back.

Arne Slot’s side have conceded just 17 goals (16 when he was on the pitch) in the 22 Premier League games he has played in.