Konaté: We should all be grateful and thank the coach with our performance on the field.

Konaté gave an interview to beIN SPORTS ahead of the third-place match between France and England.

Since you're here today, does that mean you'll be making an appearance tomorrow?

I don't know, to be honest, I have absolutely no idea. I might play, or I might not. The coach hasn't given me any information, so I can't make any guarantees right now.

However, compared to the mere 15 minutes of playing time you've received so far, you at least have the opportunity to get more playing time in this match. Can you still enjoy that opportunity? Or has the disappointment of being eliminated overshadowed everything else?

I am a very professional player, and it is an honor in itself to play for the French national team, so I have my own responsibilities. Whatever the final requirement is for me, whether I play or not, I will be prepared.

Of course, not getting a chance to play is frustrating. But I believe that since the start of this tournament, both on and off the court, I've been trying my best to help the team and every teammate. I've always done my best to ensure the team gains something from the games we've played. Now we've been eliminated in the semifinals. Your question was whether that would motivate me to play in this game, right? The answer is no. Because I'm a competitor, I strive for excellence. I always want to play in the most important games and aim for the best possible ranking. Ideally, for us, it would be to go to New York and play in the final, regardless of whether I played or not. But that's not the case now, and we have to accept reality and try to finish this tournament with a good result.

How's the team atmosphere been over the past two days? Is it difficult for you to get everyone back on track?

It was incredibly difficult, very difficult for everyone. Everyone was coping in their own way. But overall, we all shared one thing in common: disappointment and regret. We had hoped to change a lot, especially to win that game.

However, we also gained a lot from this tournament. Although the final result didn't meet our expectations, we should still try to leave with these positive takeaways. At the same time, we should also remember the coach, as this was his last tournament coaching the French national team. We should be grateful for everything he did for the French team, for the efforts he put in for each of us, and especially for calling us up again for this World Cup.

Perhaps we don't need to express our gratitude publicly here, as everyone can thank him privately. But in these final days, we can express our thanks to him through our performance on the field.

One last question. You're all very familiar with England, right? From that perspective, is this match particularly special for you personally?

Yes, we are very familiar with them.

Is this also true for you personally?

For me personally, it's the same. But to be honest, I want to win no matter which team we face. This match won't be any special just because we're playing against England. At this stage, it doesn't matter to me whether we're playing against England or Argentina. I think they'll also be disappointed about having to participate in this match and compete for this ranking, but we will do everything we can to finish this tournament with a good result.