'I would not want to be Kylian Mbappe' - Liverpool ace Ibrahima Konate comes to Real Madrid star's defence

Liverpool centre-back Ibrahima Konate has come to the defence of his France team-mate Kylian Mbappe after the Real Madrid superstar was surprisingly left out of the squad for this month's international games by head coach Didier Deschamps. Mbappe was at the centre of a controversy when he pulled out of the France squad for last month's international break due to injury, only to then travel to Sweden for a short holiday trip instead. French press were all over the Madrid striker following the unfortunate turn of events and Konate has acknowledged that dealing with all the attention cannot be easy for Mbappe.

Mbappe has had a forgettable 2024 so far and his fortunes are not about to turn around just yet by the looks of it.

After failing to fire Les Bleus to EURO 2024 success, the former Monaco prodigy arrived at Real Madrid to much fanfare in the summer. He was expected to hit the ground running immediately, but has drawn the ire of the Spanish media due to his underwhelming record. A return of eight goals in 16 games have left both the team and its fans wanting for much more from the latest 'Galactico'.

Owing to fitness concerns, Mbappe was left out by Deschamps in the previous international break in October. However, Deschamps confirmed that Mbappe had been snubbed for the upcoming Nations League fixtures this month as he explained it was "better like this."

This incident has raised eyebrows and sparked rumours of a possible rift between France captain Mbappe and his manager Deschamps. Amid all the external noise, however, Konate has the back of Mbappe.

“When he is with us, everyone is around him. Mbappe's position in today's world is exceptional. I often tell him: 'I want your level of football, but I don't want your life'," Konate told Canal+.

"Because, frankly, it is difficult to bear having your name everywhere, for everything you do.

"When Mbappe is with us, we know the qualities he has, we know what he has brought to us and we should not be ungrateful for what he has been able to contribute to this French team and the whole world is aware of it.

"He is not here now and it is up to the players who are going to play in his position to do the job, be decisive and allow us to win games. It is the coach who makes his decisions. He is the one who decides whether he wants to call him up or not. I have no say in it."

Mbappe's start to life at Real Madrid hasn't gone to plan so far. He is still finding his feet as a No. 9 for the club and has scored just one goal in his last seven outings. However, with the international break ahead, Mbappe will be hoping to work hard in training in the coming weeks and return to his best when Madrid visit Leganes on November 24.