Canadian international Ismaël Koné published a lengthy article in The Players' Tribune, detailing his experiences growing up as an immigrant from Ivory Coast to Canada, and the emotional journey of his injury this summer in Vancouver while playing for the national team.

I moved to Canada with my mom when I was seven, for a better life. But honestly, when you hear that phrase “a better life,” it’s usually adults saying it. As a kid, it was hard for me to truly understand what that meant. I didn't understand why we were coming to Montreal, why we were leaving our family behind in Ivory Coast. To be honest, all I knew then was one thing: winter was cold, and everything was different. So those first few years were tough for us, it was hard to feel at home.

But the amazing thing is, it really only takes one moment to make you feel like you belong. For me, without a doubt, that moment happened on a football pitch. I’ve loved football since I was a kid. My father was a professional player in Ivory Coast, and he introduced me to the sport, and I fell in love with it from then on. In those first few years in Montreal, I would occasionally play with neighbors, but not often. One day, I was in the park and heard some kids say there was a football match "about five minutes away," so I followed them. It was a community youth match, with a team from our block supported by the police playing against another local team. At first, I just watched, but if you know me, you know that if there's a ball around, I want to kick it. So I walked up to a woman who looked like she was in charge and asked her if I could join. She said: "Oh, I'm sorry, no. You have to register first." I must have looked really sad when I heard that, and she could tell that if this boy didn't get to play, he might cry. So when another child was substituted off, she found an extra jersey and let me play the rest of the match. Afterwards, she told me how to get my mom to sign me up so I could join the league. That was pretty much the beginning of my organized football journey in Canada.

This was a small moment, but to me, it's also what makes this country and its football special. Canada is all about inclusion. It has given so much by embracing my mom and me. I think the same goes for Canadian football. Football isn't the number one sport like ice hockey, and it doesn't have as many generations of fans as basketball or baseball. But it's more about building community and culture by bringing people from different backgrounds together. My story is like that — I could have been turned away, but that lady said, "Grab a jersey and put it on, we'll sort out the rest later." That's part of it.

Years later, we are about to co-host the FIFA World Cup, and I feel that the story of our entire team is also part of this. We have players from all sorts of different backgrounds in this group. Alphonso is from Ghana, Tajon is from Nigeria, Jonathan is from Haiti, and the list goes on. Even head coach Marsh is from the US. I'm so happy that people can see this Canada representing the country on the world stage. No, let me rephrase that: I'm so happy that people can see this Canada winning on the world stage. We are fast, aggressive, physically strong, and disciplined. But most importantly, we are willing to give everything for the badge on our chest, and I think that's because each of us worked hard to earn it, and because this country supported us when we needed it most. It's hard to put into words, but I hope you can feel it. I am incredibly proud.

To be honest, when I was lying on the pitch in Vancouver with a broken leg, the first thought that flashed through my mind was: not now. Do you know what I mean? I wasn't worried about myself. No one needed to worry about me, I would recover and come back stronger than before — I knew that even before they carried me off on a stretcher. But what I couldn't stop thinking about was how frustrated I was that we were on this mission together, and I couldn't be on the pitch to help the team anymore. Canadian football has been moving forward, forward, forward, and finally, it's here today. And something happens at this moment? We're leading 3-0, BC Place is rocking, and we're only 40 minutes away from our first-ever FIFA World Cup victory? Then I heard the whole stadium go quiet, fifty thousand fans... I felt like I had let the whole country down.

But when they carried me off — it must have been like magic. Because all the quiet at BC Place suddenly turned into warmth. I swear, that warmth sustained me for two whole weeks. When they drove me to the hospital, a physical therapist was next to me giving me live updates on the match, and I felt that warmth — he was shouting: "Nathan's free kick, 4-0! Jonathan's hat-trick, 6-0!" I replied: "Oh, sounds good." But I was also pretty fuzzy from the medication then. I felt that warmth too when I was about to undergo emergency surgery. I'm always a football player, you know, I had to gather the surgeons and give them a locker room pep talk. I said: "Gentlemen, this is everything to me. I've worked my whole life to be a player, and I have to get back on the pitch to play for this team. So, let's have a great surgery. Treat me like your brother or son."

I also felt this warmth after the surgery — an overwhelming amount of support poured in. From family and friends, from teammates and coaches, that goes without saying. But there were also countless messages from fans across Canada, supporting this team and me, caring if I was okay. And the in-person greetings I hear now when I watch games on crutches — I knew there would be support, of course, but the extent of it still surprised and deeply moved me. It made me feel like I was part of something truly special, and I was a small part of it.

So I am writing this letter not only to thank everyone who has offered words of support and good wishes, but more importantly, to thank everyone who believes in Canadian football. Whether you started believing 40 years ago when we first participated in the FIFA World Cup, or when the women's team won gold in 2021, or perhaps just last week when Stephen scored in stoppage time — it doesn't matter when you started. As long as you believe now, you are part of this. And if you don't believe yet? Well, watch the game on Saturday. It's a very important match for us, and I know the guys are ready. Everyone is welcome — grab a jersey and put it on. We'll sort out the rest later.

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