Canada's Ismaël Koné shares the moment that made him love soccer
The 24-year-old midfielder, injured during Canada's World Cup run, wrote a first-person essay about how a youth soccer volunteer in Montréal changed his life 15 years ago.
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Ismaël Koné's FIFA World Cup run ended early after he suffered a gruesome leg injury during Canada's 6–0 rout of Qatar. But the 24-year-old midfielder has continued to inspire Canadians by returning to the sidelines on crutches to support the national team.
One of seven players on Canada's 26-man World Cup squad who weren't born in Canada, Koné has won hearts across the country. Writing in The Players' Tribune, he shared how a small act of kindness 15 years ago at a neighbourhood soccer field in Montréal shaped his career and made him feel Canadian.
Koné was introduced to soccer as a kid living in the Ivory Coast. When he moved to Montréal as a youth, he discovered a local community soccer program running a match near his home. At first, he watched from the sidelines, then worked up the courage to ask the woman running the program if he could play. She told him he had to be registered.
"I think I looked so sad hearing that, it's like this lady could tell, 'if this boy doesn't get to play football soon, he might cry,'" Koné wrote. The woman changed her mind and let him play. After the game, she told young Koné's mother to sign him up for the league.
"It was such a small moment, but I also think it's a good example of what's special to me about this country, and about football in this country," he wrote. "Canada is so much about welcoming people in, and it gave so much by welcoming my mom and me."
Canada's historic World Cup run continues July 4 against Morocco in the Round of 16, kicking off at 10 a.m. PDT from Houston.
