Ibrahima Konate on depression: "You don't have to be ashamed of it"

Ibrahima Konate, former Liverpool defender, shared his experiences of depression after bereavement and emphasized the importance of talking about it. The 27-year-old Frenchman has struggled following the death of his father Hamadi Konate and the loss of teammate Diogo Jota. "There are moments of decline, there are depressions. You can suffer from depression also in football, you don't have to be ashamed of it. The truth is that I often heard that footballers said that they were depressed, and fans or outsiders did not understand it because "they earn a lot." But it's not true, you shouldn't talk about it like that. Depression is personal, it happens deep inside you. When you're depressed, it starts in your heart, moves to your brain, and spreads throughout your body. For me, this is the hardest thing and it needs to be talked about.  There has never been a moment when I felt like I was recovering. All these tragic events happened very quickly, and as soon as I felt my head was above water again, something else happened. I had support from the fans, who are unique in Liverpool, from my teammates and, above all, from my family, but I also had to learn to stand on my own because the team needed me more than ever and I know that my father would like me to come back," Konate told France Inter. Earlier, Real's president Florentino Perez announced that if he wins the presidential election, Konate will be the first new player to join the club in the summer transfer window.