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Ibrahima Konate has responded to Lamine Yamal’s suggestion that France should be "afraid" of Spain before their much-anticipated World Cup semi-final, insisting that Les Bleus remain composed and focused. Speaking from France’s training base in Boston, the Real Madrid defender stressed that the squad is keeping their humility intact and ignoring outside talk.

With the 2026 World Cup semi-final set to take place in Arlington, Texas, the stakes continue to rise. After Spain’s quarter-final triumph over Belgium, Barcelona’s teenage sensation Yamal sparked controversy by declaring that France should be the ones under pressure, referencing the two nations’ recent encounters.

Konate quickly played down the youngster’s comments. “Is France afraid of Spain? No. To tell you the truth, we don’t pay attention to the chatter before such big matches,” he told reporters.

He added, “We shouldn’t fear anyone. What matters is to keep the same humility we’ve shown since the beginning of this tournament and not walk into those traps, especially now. He can say what he likes. We’ll prepare as best as we can, and hopefully, when the final whistle blows, the result will be on our side.”

Konate also emphasised that France’s focus cannot be limited to a single player. The former Liverpool centre-back, who recently completed a move to Real Madrid, warned that Spain’s collective strength poses the real challenge.

When asked whether France had a specific plan in place for the young winger, Konate replied: “Honestly, we haven’t thought about that in particular. Spain are a fantastic team with many quality players. The key isn’t to focus on just one individual, because their entire squad can cause problems. It’s not just Lamine—it’s all of Spain.”

Reflecting on France’s defeat to Spain in the semi-finals of Euro 2024, Konate suggested that the circumstances around that match affected the outcome. “We won’t deny it was a tough game,” he admitted. “But if we’re being truthful—with full respect to every player who represented France that day—the defensive lineup was made up of players who had never played together before. It was our first time as a unit, which made things difficult. Had the situation been different, I truly believe the match would not have gone the same way.”

Konate also spoke about his recent transfer to Real Madrid, describing it as a dream come true. “It’s the greatest club in the world. You don’t really understand the magnitude of it until you wear that shirt,” he said.

Even with the excitement of his move, Konate remains focused on the immediate goal—guiding France to a third straight World Cup final and avenging their past defeat to Spain.