Ibrahima Konate wore the captain’s armband as France beat Italy 3-1 on Sunday, with there a growing support among their staff for him to replace Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe is officially France captain but has not been part of their squad for the last two international breaks amid questions over his commitment under Didier Deschamps.
That has seen Deschamps rotate the armband around a number of players, including Konate, who started as captain against Italy on Sunday.
Having finally cemented himself as first choice – starting five of the last six games after not featuring at all at the Euros – the Liverpool defender is growing in prominence for France.
According to L’Equipe, that has made him a strong contender to take over as full-time captain if Mbappe relinquishes his duties.
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Mbappe is expected to hold talks with Deschamps regarding his role for his country and whether he wishes to keep the captaincy, with the manager acknowledging rumours that his No. 10 no longer wishes to wear the armband.
Konate is named alongside N’Golo Kante and Aurelien Tchouameni as one of three options for Deschamps if he is to choose a new captain.
It is noted that Konate in particular has impressed France coaches when it comes to his leadership, while his performances on the pitch for club and country need little explanation.
If he is named captain it would be belated recognition of Konate’s status as a world-class centre-back, with Liverpool fans long bemused by his peripheral role for France.
He would join Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson, Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo as international captains within Arne Slot‘s squad, while others – including Conor Bradley – have also worn the armband for their country.
Konate is arguably in the form of his career this season, and is currently enjoying his most consistent run of starts in a Liverpool shirt as Slot and his staff navigate historic fitness issues.
He has already clocked 1,244 minutes on the pitch this term – the fourth-most of any Liverpool player – and has set a personal record of 10 consecutive starts in the Premier League.
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