Konaté signs for Real Madrid as France rotate for Iraq

Konaté agrees Real Madrid move after Liverpool exit

Ibrahima Konaté is heading to Real Madrid. The France centre-back joins on a free transfer when his Liverpool contract expires, Real Madrid confirmed as part of their summer business (3). Konaté is currently at the World Cup with Les Bleus and arrives in Spain alongside Denzel Dumfries from Inter Milan and Marc Cucurella from Chelsea (3).

The move has been a long time coming. Back in November 2024, former France defender William Gallas did not hold back. "Right now, the best defender in the Premier League is Ibrahima Konaté. On current form, there's no one better," Gallas said. "Opponents don't even want to challenge him" (3).

Defence reshuffled for Iraq clash

Didier Deschamps is resting his entire back four for Friday's match against Iraq. William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano, Théo Hernandez, and Malo Gusto all sat out Wednesday's session and will be managed through the second group game (1).

That opens the door for Jules Koundé to slot in at right-back. Gusto addressed the competition directly. "I'm here to play too," he said, four days out from the match. "The competition with Koundé is important" (5) (7).

Mbappé sets the record, then shrugs

Kylian Mbappé is now France's all-time leading goalscorer. He took the record during the Senegal win on June 16 and kept it brief afterwards. "It makes me extremely happy, I'm glad to have taken another step in my country's history," he said. "But I want to emphasize that I'm not here to achieve individual records" (4).

He also spoke about his growing chemistry with Michael Olise, a connection that is starting to show on the pitch (4).

Maignan under the microscope after Senegal scare

France 1–0 Senegal in the opener, but Mike Maignan's night drew scrutiny. RMC Sport ran a detailed analysis asking whether the keeper should have done better on the goal that was conceded, quoting former France goalkeeping coach Christophe Lollichon (2). The save, or lack of it, is the one blemish on an otherwise clean start to the tournament.

Fan reactions

The internet found the lighter side of France's camp. One photo making the rounds shows Mbappé perched on top of a scaffold overlooking training, and the caption on r/soccer said it all: "Kylian Mbappe supervising the France team's training session from the top of a scaffold" (link). Meanwhile, Bayern Munich fans on Reddit spotted what looks like a cloned Upamecano in a France team photo. "That's our backline sorted for next season," one wrote (link).