French centre-back Ibrahima Konaté did not convince everyone at Real Madrid during his first official appearance in the famous white shirt this weekend.
Konaté is one of the new faces of Real Madrid’s 2026/27 squad. The Spanish giants did not hesitate to take advantage of the opportunity to sign the French international after his contract with Liverpool expired. Madrid were able to beat the competition fairly comfortably, as the defender had reportedly made Real Madrid his preferred destination from the beginning.
On Saturday evening, Konaté made his official debut for Los Blancos against Espanyol. José Mourinho’s side eventually secured a narrow 2-1 victory, thanks to a late goal from Carlos Espí, but the French defender’s individual performance generated some debate in Spain.
Konaté experienced several difficult moments during the match, particularly on Espanyol’s goal. The former Sochaux player was not ideally positioned inside the penalty area and was unable to prevent the Catalan side from finding the net. His positioning was one of the main concerns during the first half, with the defender occasionally appearing uncertain within Real Madrid’s defensive structure.
However, his performance was far from entirely negative. Konaté showed exactly why Real Madrid decided to bring him to the Santiago Bernabéu. Physically powerful and aggressive in individual battles, he was very difficult to beat in duels. The Frenchman was also dominant in the air, using his strength and height to win several important headers.
Konaté Has Yet to Fully Convince
Spanish newspaper AS analysed Konaté’s first appearance and believes the defender still has significant room for improvement. According to the report, the French international also appeared somewhat hesitant when in possession, occasionally lacking confidence and precision when trying to build from the back.
More importantly, the newspaper claims that Konaté has not yet completely convinced everyone inside Real Madrid.
While Dean Huijsen currently appears to have a relatively secure position in José Mourinho’s starting defence, Konaté’s place may be less certain. The Frenchman faces strong competition from Antonio Rüdiger, and his performance against Espanyol was not convincing enough to completely push the experienced German defender out of the starting XI.
AS described Konaté’s debut as “acceptable, but with inaccuracies that could create doubts for his new coach.”
Such conclusions may seem premature after only one official match, especially considering that Konaté is still adapting to a new club, a new league and Mourinho’s tactical demands. Nevertheless, competition at Real Madrid is always intense.
🚨 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗧: Real Madrid's new signing, Ibrahima Konate, had the MOST touches (89) in the entire match in his La Liga debut against Espanyol. pic.twitter.com/X0Om6LCEmH
— The Touchline | 𝐓 (@TouchlineX) August 25, 2026
Mourinho has already made his philosophy very clear: there will be no guaranteed status within his squad. Every player will have to earn his place through performances, training and consistency.
Konaté will therefore need to respond quickly. The next opportunity could arrive as early as Wednesday evening against Real Sociedad at the Santiago Bernabéu.
The question now is whether Mourinho will keep faith in the French defender or give Rüdiger an opportunity alongside Huijsen. One thing is certain: the battle for a starting position in Real Madrid’s defence has only just begun.
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