World Cup in Vancouver: In a wheelchair: Injured Koné is celebrated in the stadium

Canada’s seriously injured professional soccer player Ismael Koné was greeted emotionally by fans upon his return to the World Cup stadium in Vancouver. The 24-year-old midfielder was injured six days ago in the clear 6-0 win against Qatar and will no longer be available for the rest of the World Cup due to a broken leg. Koné has already had surgery and will be out for a long time.

Saliba takes Koné’s place

A good hour before the last group game against Switzerland, the professional from the Italian club US Sassuolo was pushed into the covered arena in a wheelchair. Koné waved to the fans from the interior. Nathan Saliba takes the midfielder’s place in the starting eleven.

“Ishmael can do great things that no one else can. He represents a lot of what the team stands for and is a big loss for us,” Canada coach Jesse Marsch said about Koné’s loss. The former Leipzig coach added: “It’s very hard for him right now, but he has a great future ahead of him. He remains a part of what we do here.”