‘A great journey’: Canada defender Bombito reflects on road to recovery

VANCOUVER – The long road to recovery from a broken leg to playing in his first FIFA World Cup match has been a learning experience for defender Moïse Bombito.

The 26-year-old from Montreal fractured his left tibia playing for French club Nice in October. Questions swirled if he would recover in time to represent Canada at the World Cup.

Those were answered when Bombito came on in the second half of Canada’s 6-0 victory over Qatar on Thursday, the country’s first World Cup win.

“It’s been a journey, a great journey,” Bombito said before training Monday. “Throughout that journey, I learned that resilience is key; faith is key also.

“If you put bad thoughts in your head, it can have an impact. I tried my best to stay positive in all circumstances, to be thankful in all circumstances.”

Canada and Switzerland each have four points after two games, but Canada leads the Group B standings with a better goal differential.

The two teams play Wednesday in Vancouver. A win or a draw sends Canada into the next round of the 48-team tournament at the top of the group.

Bombito’s recovery was slow. He trained with Nice but only saw limited action near the end of the season.

He was named to the initial 26-man World Cup roster, then logged 31 minutes in the squad’s 2-0 friendly win over Uzbekistan on June 1 on a wet, cold night in Edmonton. Bombito limped off the field and was spotted icing the injured leg.

He was available off the bench when Canada took on Ireland in a friendly in Montreal on June 5, but Luc de Fougerolles filled his spot in the starting lineup.

Bombito didn’t play in Canada’s tournament-opening 1-1 draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Toronto.

Negative thoughts began to creep into Bombito’s mind. He credits his faith and his teammates for supporting him.

“There were times where I was doubting, didn’t know if I was going to be able to make it,” he said. “My game in Edmonton wasn’t quite right. I was just thinking to myself, is it the right thing to do (play but) not as helpful.

“I believe my God helped me through this journey that was a roller coaster. I’m proud to have been able to give everything. My coaching staff gave me that trust that I’d be good. I have to be really grateful for them.”

Bombito also watched as de Fougerolles and Derek Cornelius filled in for him.

“I have to take into consideration that Derek and Luc have been doing a really tremendous job,” he said. “I won’t say I don’t want to take their spot, but you don’t want to kill a great momentum. You just want to be able to help when your number is called.”

Finally getting the call against Qatar, then walking onto the pitch for his first World Cup appearance before a boisterous Canadian crowd at BC Place Stadium, was special.

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“You dream about the day,” Bombito said. “You recognize all your hard work paid off. Then you go out there, see your family in the stands, you see all the people that were supporting you, and you’re just really grateful. It was a great moment for sure.”

The shine of Canada’s win over Qatar was tarnished when midfielder Ismaël Koné suffered a broken leg.

Watching Koné being carried off the field was especially difficult for Bombito, goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau and forward Tajon Buchanan, who have all suffered similar injuries. The three have been offering Koné support.

“I try to be there as much as I could and let him know he’s not alone,” Bombito said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 22, 2026