Liverpool FC's Kostas Tsimikas praised for 'wise words' after cryptic message

Liverpool FC’s Kostas Tsimikas delivered a cryptic message as he encouraged people to 'ignore distractions'. The Greek defender has become an important part of Arne Slot’s side, competing against Andy Robertson to be the first choice left-back.

Some fans were expecting him to start again in Liverpool’s last away game against Southampton on Sunday afternoon at 2pm. However, Kostas was absent from the squad completely as it emerged shortly before kick-off that he had picked up a knock in training.

Away from the pitch, Kostas regularly delivers updates to almost 3m followers on Instagram. His latest post was uploaded last Thursday and was captioned “Life”.

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It included a series of monochrome pictures, including one of the footballer and his dog. However, Kostas also posted a message appearing to address his critics. It said: “Live in your own world. Ignore normal. Ignore news. Ignore notifications. Ignore anything that pulls you away from the mission. The others will try to distract you.

“They'll say you're too narrow. Too linear. Too extreme. Lack of conviction loves company. So they will drag you down to their reality. Recognise and resist. Outliers are outsiders who simply kept going. Stand outside, and you will stand out. Stay in your world, and the world will reward you.”

The post was liked by over 170,000 people including his teammate Federico Chiesa. Many fans left comments in support of the Greek international. One said: "Love this guy! Maturity speaks." Another said: "Keep your head up!" A third added: "Underrated player." A fourth person said: "Wise words from a wise man."

Kostas has delivered several standout moments in his Liverpool career since joining in 2020, including scoring the winning penalty in the 2022 FA Cup Final against Chelsea. However, some fans have questioned his defensive abilities and argued he is not good enough to be the first choice at left-back.

This appears to have been addressed by new manager Slot, who started him in crucial games against Brighton and Bayer Leverkusen earlier this month. It’s not known yet whether Kostas will be fit to play Real Madrid tomorrow in the Champions League.