Canada's Koné rejoins teammates after World Cup injury
The midfielder suffered a broken fibula and tibia during Canada's 6-0 win over Qatar Thursday. Three Vancouver surgeons repaired his leg within hours.
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Canadian soccer midfielder Ismaël Koné is out of the hospital and reunited with his national team after suffering a gruesome injury during Canada's historic 6-0 victory over Qatar on Thursday.
The 24-year-old broke his fibula and tibia when he was injured on-field during the match. Three Vancouver general surgeons successfully repaired both bones within hours of the incident.
Koné was greeted by his Canadian teammates outside the Westin Bayshore hotel in downtown Vancouver, just outside Stanley Park, in a video posted Saturday. He was first met by teammate Nathan Saliba, whose goal after replacing Koné will go down in Canadian soccer history—Saliba scored the first free-kick goal of FIFA World Cup 2026 just minutes after subbing on.
Saliba held Koné's jersey up to the crowd in an emotional moment. "I was just trying to do something for him, and show that it's not just a game where we move on, and people just keep doing our lives," Saliba told reporters after the match. "I didn't feel like celebrating. I was just thinking about my friend."
Canada erupted into a chant of "Ismaël" as Koné rejoined his team. "He's a lovely guy, loves to joke around, he loves to bring people together," Saliba said. "He's just a really good guy. And we're really going to be there for him. We're a second family."