Striker Francis Koné has a statistic that isn’t on any score sheet, but might be unmatched in professional sports: He claims to have saved four people’s lives on the field. The 26-year-old from Togo jumped into action over the weekend in the Czech Republic following a collision that left opposing goalkeeper Martin Borkovec laying on the ground, struggling to breathe.
Soccer player Francis Kone saved the life of his competitor on the field
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
Koné jumped into action and assisted the goalkeeper, ensuring he didn’t swallow his tongue. He stood over Borkovec, reached into his mouth and rolled him into the recovery position until team doctors were able to make it over to the downed player.
How did Koné know exactly what to do? According to the player he’s done it three times before. The player told the Associated Press that he had assisted three other times in similar situations, twice while playing in Africa and once in Thailand. He posted the following to Facebook after the incident:
“I would like to give thanks to God for saving a colleague from the worst, because without him we would know how terrible today could have been. Thanks also to all those from near or far away who have written to me or called about this gesture of sportsmanship and humanity. I hope that Martin and Daniel will recover quickly so they can return to the football field.”
Koné was awarded “hero of the match” from league officials, while the man whose life he saved thanked Koné “for his quick action in saving me.” Four people may be alive today because of one soccer player, and that is just incredible.
