“We want to retain local talent, it hurt my heart to see Konaté start with Leipzig. We cannot afford for a player who has been with the club to make his first appearance with Leipzig at the age of 16.” Everyone probably didn’t know who Pablo Longoria was talking about when he talked about his desire to keep the team at the heart of the Marseille project in his mid-season report. He was obviously not referring to Ibrahima Konaté despite his time with the Bullenbut in Samba Konaté.
Aged 16, this striker born in Le Havre followed an unusual route before playing his first Bundesliga match at the beginning of December against Frankfurt (6-0 victory for Leipzig). Barely six months earlier, Konaté was still roaming the pitches of the U17 National Championship, where his performances in the Nice Cavigal jersey aroused the interest of Barça, Bayern Munich and even PSG last summer. His 20 goals in the championship also opened the doors to the French U16 team in May (an extremely rare phenomenon for a player playing in an amateur club), a first in the history of the Nice team.
PSG tried to recruit him
Concerning Pablo Longoria, his regrets are mainly due to the fact that the player was still playing at OM six months before his sudden explosion. Arriving in Marseille in July 2023 after having toured the Toulon region and experiencing a one-year break at the HAC training center, Konaté finally packed his bags in December of that same year. At that time, the club’s policy was not aligned with the vision of those around him, and circumstances did not allow for a rapid rise to the pros. He was not afraid to go down a level by joining ASPTT Marseille in the middle of the season, then Nice Cavigal. Time has proven him right with this signing for Leipzig this summer, his tenth club.
The interest of several European heavyweights could have made him lose his head, but reason took precedence over feelings. With a professional contract at stake, combined with this prospect of integrating the group quickly (there are no reserves in Leipzig, and the bridge between the U19s and the pro group is common), the choice quickly became obvious. The proof is today: his performances quickly caught the ear of coach Ole Werner, who called him up for the last three matches.
Slender (he already stands at 1.90 m) and fast, he is also both very mobile and powerful, which his slender silhouette does not indicate at first glance. If we had to find an equivalent in profile, Hugo Ekitike would perhaps be the one who comes closest, all things considered. In terms of precocity, Konaté does better, however. By coming on against Frankfurt this month in the Bundesliga, the 16-year-old striker became the second French player of the 2009 generation to make his professional debut, just behind Amiens Aly Traoré, who entered against Le Mans FC the day before. Several informed followers of youth football agree that Konaté could be the next Frenchman to explode in Leipzig. In any case, there is every reason to believe it.
