Morocco’s Ismael Saibari, left, and Canada’s Moïse Bombito compete for the ball during their World Cup round of 16 match in Houston last month.Eric Gay/The Associated Press
Moïse Bombito traced it back to a conversation he had with Canadian national team coach Jesse Marsch.
Bombito was needed, and the 26-year-old centre back wasn’t willing to miss the FIFA World Cup being played on home soil, even if his body was telling him otherwise.
The Canadian defender is set to undergo surgery on his left tibia once again, his club team Nice announced Wednesday. The Ligue 1 team in France said the Montreal native was dealing with chronic pain that prompted a scan on his leg before determining surgery to be the next step.
“I’m talking with the national team coach, who explains to me that he needs me and that, in terms of my recovery, things are progressing, and that potentially I could take part in the World Cup, which is being played at home, where I’m from, in front of my friends, my family, the people close to me,” Bombito said in a translated interview with Nice.
“And in that moment, without thinking about it, I tell him that I’ll be there. I’m going to help. I’m going to represent my country. But my leg is telling me something else.”
Bombito initially fractured his tibia on Oct. 5 but came back in time to compete for Canada this summer. He played in three of Canada’s five games, with two starts, including a full 90 minutes in the round of 16 loss to Morocco.
The 6-foot-3 centre back says he pushed through the knockout win over South Africa but that he was “struggling quite a bit.”
Canada Soccer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“It’s a tough blow, a tough blow,” Bombito said. “But at the same time, I was kind of expecting it because over the last month I really tried to show that, first, I could give everything I had and, second, bring something to the team.
Moïse Bombito gestures to Canada’s head coach Jesse Marsch at halftime of Canada’s round of 32 match against South Africa in Los Angeles at the World Cup.ETIENNE LAURENT/AFP/Getty Images
“But I think it was pretty obvious to everyone that I wasn’t myself, that I was being held back a bit, let’s say, by this tibia. And obviously it’s something that’s difficult. But I’m going to get through it, that’s for sure.”
He was still in “discomfort” and “pain” upon returning to Nice, but didn’t want to have surgery. He wanted to see if it was a must, and was in agreement with the coaching and medical staff to decide by August’s end.
“The pain is something I feel constantly. Every jog, every run – basically all the time. Except when I’m walking, I feel a jolt. It’s like an electric shock with every step I take,” Bombito said.
“And mentally, you can keep telling yourself that it’s going to be OK, but if it’s constantly there, yeah, it’s difficult. No, it’s difficult. It’s something that bothers me. Like I told you, it’s been a year now, maybe longer. So I really want to put an end to this and finally be able to take that next step and be myself, you know? Play at 100 per cent and give everything I can.”
Bombito joined Nice in 2024 after a run with Major League Soccer’s Colorado Rapids.
He played 35 games (33 starts) in his first season with the French club before missing all but two games due to injury last season.