Djibril Konaté (born 2 September 1980) is a Malian association footballer who plays for Vendée Fontenay Foot. He usually plays as a right-back, but can also play as a centre-half and a defensive midfielder. He has played his entire career in France, with Mantes, Fontenay, Chamois Niortais and Angers and he was part of the Niort side which won the Championnat National in the 2005–06 season. Standing at a height of 1.94 metres, Konaté was the tallest player to play for Chamois Niortais during their professional era, between 1985 and 2009. Personal life Konaté was born on 2 September 1980 in the Malian city of Kayes, but his family moved to France whilst he was young. He has a brother, named Youssouf, who also played semi-professional football for Mantes, making two appearances in the Championnat de France amateur in the 2004–05 season. Career Early career Konaté started his senior career in 1997 playing for amateur outfit Mantes in the Championnat de France amateur 2, the fifth tier of the French football league system. In the 2001–02 season the team celebrated promotion to the Championnat de France amateur after finishing third in their division. In a higher division, Konaté found his first-team opportunities limited, making just three league appearances in the 2002–03 season as the team narrowly avoided relegation, finishing in 15th position in the CFA Group A. Fontenay-le-Comte At the end of that season, Konaté's contract came to an end and he was released by Mantes. In the summer of 2003, he signed for semi-professional CFA group D side Fontenay-le-Comte. Konaté played a major role in the next two seasons for Fontenay, attracting interest from higher division clubs. At the end of the 2004–05 season, Fontenay were demoted from the CFA, despite finishing 11th in their group and this signalled the end of Konaté's time with the club. Chamois Niortais In July 2005, Konaté signed his first professional contract with then Championnat National side Chamois Niortais. He was mostly a bit-part player during his first season with the club. He made his début for the Deux-Sèvres club on 4 March 2006, coming on as a substitute replacing Vincent Durand in the 3–1 victory over AS Cherbourg Football, and went on to make two starts in the league, as well as four further substitute appearances, as the team comfortably finished top of the division, gaining promotion to Ligue 2. In his