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In a touching humanitarian scene, Canada star Ismail Kone returned to his country’s national team camp on Saturday, 48 hours after sustaining a horrific ankle injury during a game in Qatar, to a hero’s welcome from his teammates, despite his 2026 World Cup being over.
The Canadian Football Association published on its official pages on social networks that the former player of the Italian “Sassuolo” arrived in the national team camp in a company car and left, leaning on crutches, to the cheers and warm applause of all the members of the Canadian delegation.
Video released showed emotional moments as Conne hugged colleagues who chanted his name as he posed for a souvenir photo with medical staff overseeing his treatment, before being wheeled into a wheelchair with his injured leg resting on a pillow bearing the Canadian flag.
The video ended with: “Thank you to the medical staff at Vancouver General Hospital,” referring to the success of the surgery the 24-year-old underwent shortly after his injury.
Kone, who previously played for Marseille in France, suffered the injury in the 51st minute of Canada’s 6-0 loss to Qatar last Thursday night at BC Place in Vancouver.
After an apparently harmless contact with Qatar’s Assem Madibo, the international midfielder (41 caps, 4 goals) fell to the ground, shocked eyes widening as he saw his ankle twisted almost at a right angle to his remaining leg, while television footage showed the bottom of his leg horribly bent inwards.
The players and technical staff clearly heard the sound of the bone breaking, which shocked everyone, while medical staff rushed to administer first aid and stretcher him off the pitch, with Kone waving to teammates and fans to try to calm them down.
Despite the end of his participation in the tournament, the Canadian federation confirmed that Kone will remain with the national team until the end of his country’s World Cup journey, a move that reflects the high team spirit of the team.
After a 1–1 draw with Bosnia-Herzegovina in the opening match, Canada won its first ever World Cup after losing the previous two games (1986 and 2022).
