Search icon

Football

14th Jan 2022

James Rodriguez thanked for saving life of Ousmane Coulibaly in social media post

Callum Boyle

James Rodriguez helped to save the life of Ousmane Coulibaly after he suffered a cardiac arrest last Sunday

Ousmane Coulibaly has taken to social media to thank James Rodriguez for the part he played in helping to save the ex-Mali International’s life.

Coulibaly suffered a cardiac arrest during the game between Al-Rayyan and Al-Wakrah in Qatar last Sunday, with Rodriguez on hand to help adjust the head of the 32-year-old to enable him to breathe properly before medics arrived on hand.

The defender is now recovering in hospital and is in a stable condition thanks to the work of the former Everton and Real Madrid midfielder, who he thanked in a post on social media.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CYrSeQkKUA-/

On his Instagram, Coulibaly said: “On January 9 2022, I suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch just before end of the first-half.

“Many teams of people helped to revive me straight away after my collapse.

“Thanks to God and the work of those heroes, I was saved.

“Thanks to James Rodriguez who made the first move to adjust my head. Also to [Al-Wakkrah teammate] Saoud Al-Khater who quickly signalled the medical team on.”

The game was abandoned as a result of the incident, with both teams agreeing that the game should be replayed at a later date.

Taking place a day later on, Monday 10 January, Al-Rayyan emerged as 3-0 winners, with Colombia international Rodriguez scoring two of those goals.

Before the game, the medical staff who helped Coulibaly, were given a guard of honour by both teams and members of staff from the Qatari Sports League as a token of appreciation.

Related links: