Filling an Ismaël Koné-sized hole in Canada's lineup won't be easy as the country continues its World Cup quest.
The central midfielder underwent successful surgery Thursday night after the tibia and fibula in his left leg were broken during a group-stage matchup against Qatar.
The surgeons who performed the operation were watching the game before they were called into action, Canada's head coach Jesse Marsch said Friday.
Koné, 24, is expected to make a full recovery, but he will not be available for the rest of the tournament.
“He's been an incredible player, maybe our best player in the tournament so far. And he's also a big personality in the group," Marsch said. "So we'll manage it, but it won't be easy.”
Assim Madibo tackled Koné from behind early in the second half. The Canadian fell to the ground and held his leg up with his mouth wide open in disbelief before medics wheeled him off on a stretcher in front of a stunned BC Place crowd, dampening the co-host nation's 6-0 thumping of Qatar.
It was a historic first-ever World Cup victory for the Canadian men.
Madibo, who later personally apologized to Koné, received a red card to bring Qatar down to nine players.
Nathan Saliba then came on as a substitute and scored on a free kick before forming his fingers into an eight — Koné's number — and raising his teammate’s jersey to the crowd in an emotional tribute.
Saliba, a 22-year-old from Longueuil, Que., and Koné — who hails from Montreal — both made their professional debuts for Major League Soccer club CF Montréal before earning transfers to Europe.
"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 (their) lives," Saliba said after the game. "I didn't feel like celebrating. I was just thinking about my friend."
It was Saliba's first World Cup action and came days after a pep talk from Marsch.
"I was speaking to Nathan last week, and I could see he was down a little bit in training because he hadn't played in the first match," the coach said. "And I said, ‘You got to be ready for any moment, because anything can happen.'
"So, between Nathan, Mathieu Choinière, Jonathan Osorio, Niko Sigur, we're going to have to figure out how to use all of our players to get the best out of each game and help fill in the void of what Ismaël has meant to the team, which has been many, many things."
Canada's Nathan Saliba (25) holds up injured teammate Ismael Kone's jersey after scoring against Qatar during the second half of a World Cup Group B soccer match, in Vancouver, on Thursday, June 18, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Several Canadian players joined Koné and members of his family at the hospital later Thursday night before he underwent surgery. Marsch said Koné is expected to remain in the hospital for one more night and rejoin the team once he’s released.
Koné, who plays for Italy's Sassuolo at the club level, delivered an optimistic message to fans on social media Friday morning, thanking them for the love and support.
“You can’t even imagine how grateful I am to everyone who reached out and that has me in their prayers,” he wrote in an Instagram post. “I thank god for that because not everyone is this fortunate.”
“To Canadian brothers, as I turned myself into (an) assistant coach to support you from the sideline. I wanted you to know that I love you guys from the bottom of my heart and our brotherhood is everything to me,” he added. “What you guys did yesterday will stay with me forever. I’ll be back very soon and we’ll keep making more memories together.”
Several of Koné's teammates know all too well the journey he'll face in his recovery.
He is the fourth member of the national team to suffer a broken leg in recent years. Winger Tajon Buchan broke his while training for the 2024 Copa America and central defender Moïse Bombito fractured his leg while playing for Nice in October.
Goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau had a similar break back in 2022 while playing in Major League Soccer's championship game for Los Angeles FC. The injury happened just weeks before the World Cup in Qatar.
“Yes, there's the field, we all know that, the quality of a player that he is and what he brings," Crépeau said. "But there's the personal life, being at the top of the form to not even grabbing a glass of water by yourself sometimes, or having to go to the washroom, for example.
"So you go from such highs, and then you need help to even walk, you need to learn again. That feeling of support, we need to be there for him, because it's not easy.”
Everyone on the national squad will be there for whatever Koné needs, the 'keeper added.
“Even in the locker room yesterday it was a bittersweet feeling," he said. "The locker room is healthy. Everybody's going to be there for Isma. We're very, very tight. It's a close group … We have an extra motivation to top the group.”
Canada, which all but secured a place in the knockout stage with Thursday’s win, wraps up Group B play Wednesday against Switzerland in Vancouver.
