Ibrahima Konate showed up to international duty with France wearing an unusual attire.
The 25-year-old defender, whose superb form under new Liverpool boss Arne Slot got him the call-up, is pushing the boundaries off it.
On Monday afternoon, Konate, covered in a bright green hood, revealed himself to photographers at Clairefontaine. “You don’t know who I am?” he quipped.
The checkered pattern suit included a subtle lime green that flashed sophistication and boldness. But the avante mesh hood—often worn by rapper Kanye West—seemed to irk French fans.
A fashion statement or a distraction?
Les Bleus supporters didn’t take the fashion oddity too lightly. “Stop. This is getting ridiculous,” said one fan on X.
“We simply need to stop talking about it and get back to football… what’s the priority? Fashion show or football match?”
Perhaps nothing is wrong with the attire, only the mood among French fans.
The team’s star leader, Kylian Mbappe, is receiving most of the criticism, not just because of his last few drab performances for FFF but also because he chose to skip the game this time around. However, the fully fit forward and France captain continues to play for Real Madrid.
“Either you’re injured, and you don’t play with your club and you’re not called up in the national team. But when you come off the bench in the Champions League and you start a league game, it makes things fuzzy,” former France defender Maxime Bossis told L’Equipe.
Add that sour taste to the recent announcement of Antoine Griezmann‘s international retirement and the fashion faux pas, and fans are losing their minds.
If France can’t defeat Israel and Belgium in their upcoming Nations League matches, the boss, Didier Deschamps, may require his players to appear in matching dapper suits next time.
“We’re hitting rock bottom and it’s really starting to impact the image of the squad. Stop the carnage FFF, selection outfit imposed. This is not fashion week,” said another fan faithful.
Photos: Instagram/equipdefrance
