Virgil van Dijk sends wordless message to Ibrahima Konate ahead of World Cup final

By Ben Evans

The World Cup final this afternoon could see a Liverpool player lift the trophy for the first time since 2010.

Fernando Torres and Pepe Reina brought their winner’s medals back to Anfield on that occasion.

And after taking to Instagram ahead of the match, Ibrahima Konate is the next Liverpool player hoping to lift the World Cup trophy.

France are looking to become the first side to win back-to-back World Cups since Brazil in 1962.

There’s only the small matter of Argentina and a certain Lionel Messi standing in their way in Qatar.

Konate has made four appearances at the World Cup so far, including starting Wednesday’s semi-final against Morocco.

The French side have struggled with illness this week, and Konate stepped into the side in place of Dayot Upamecano.

He’ll be hoping his performance against the Atlas Lions was enough retain his spot in Les Bleus starting XI.

It would be the biggest game of the 23-year-old’s career, and one plenty of Liverpool fans will hope he can win.

Konate prepares for World Cup final

On Instagram, the defender posted a picture of him in training with an hourglass emoji and a French flag.

He received plenty of support from fellow players and fans, including his Liverpool centre-back partner Virgil van Dijk.

The Dutchman showed that he thought Konate had been on fire during the World Cup.

Konate earned praise for the French media for his performance in the semi-finals.

Jurgen Klopp will be hoping Konate can carry this form into the second half of Liverpool’s league campaign.

The Reds need to show significant improvement after Christmas if they’re to qualify for the Champions League once again.

A report from The Athletic suggests Konate won’t be involved in Liverpool’s Boxing Day fixture, which is unsurprising.

Liverpool’s other World Cup stars have all been given some time off before returning to training.

Klopp will hope he’s ready to hit the ground running as soon as he returns.

Konate has played more matches at the World Cup than in the Premier League this season.

But the Frenchman is very much an important player for the present and future at Anfield.