Ismaël Koné out of hospital and his Canada teammates were so happy to see him
Millions of Canadians tuned in to enjoy Canada’s historic 6-0 over Qatar on Thursday.
But, imagine the point of view from three Vancouver-based surgeons.
You’re watching the game on TV, and you see Ismaël Koné suffer a gruesome, on-field injury.
Next thing you know, it’s time to get off the couch and get to work.
That was the case for three Vancouver general surgeons, who successfully repaired Koné’s broken fibula and tibia mere hours after the incident.
The 24-year-old is now out of the hospital, and he was greeted by his Canadian teammates and staff in a wholesome video.
A hero’s welcome for our guy Isma 🫶🇨🇦#CANMNT pic.twitter.com/nWnbi0cS2W
— CANMNT (@CANMNT_Official) June 20, 2026
Koné met up with his teammates outside of what appeared to be the Westin Bayshore hotel in downtown Vancouver, just outside of Stanley Park.
He was first greeted in the video by teammates 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 for Koné. He then held Koné’s jersey up to the crowd in an emotional moment across the country.
“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 Thursday’s historic win.
“I didn’t feel like celebrating. I was just thinking about my friend.”
Someone has made a tribute to Ismaël Koné at an apartment building near BC Place.
They’ve even gotten the accent right — just fantastic, heartwarming stuff.#CanMNT has captured this country’s hearts. pic.twitter.com/AEfAsfaYY1
— Ben Steiner (@BenSteiner00) June 20, 2026
Canada erupted into a chant of “Ismaël” after he rejoined his team in downtown Vancouver in the video posted Saturday.
“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.”