Ibrahima Konaté, the Real Madrid defender, confirmed that his teammate Kylian Mbappé handled missing out on the Ballon d'Or well. He was back in training the very next day, fully focused and full of energy, despite the sting of the disappointment.
According to Spanish newspaper "Marca", Konaté spoke to reporters in the mixed zone after France's first training session ahead of Thursday's clash with Italy in Milan. He also addressed Mbappé's mental and physical state after the Ballon d'Or loss.
"Kylian has a wonderful mentality, as he has shown in the recent matches in which he played a decisive role. He is an extremely important player for us at Madrid. He is a competitor by nature, and so not winning the Ballon d'Or, even though he thoroughly deserved it, is certainly difficult, but he returned to training the next day fully ready and enthusiastic. I hope he will be at his best next year so that he can lift the award," Konaté said.
The French defender insisted he is not simply hitting form during these recent matches. He has been in this state since the opening of the current campaign, he said, having come through a brutal last season. His father died, and so did his former Liverpool teammate Diogo Jota, killed in a traffic accident that also claimed the life of Jota's brother.
"I am not improving at the moment, rather I have been in this state since the start of the season. All the criticism I faced last year, even if the personal circumstances unrelated to football were not always pointed out, shows how strong I am on the mental level," the player added.