Ismaël Koné is playing with a smile again after a turbulent period 😊 | THE SIT-DOWN by Visa 🎙️

When Ismaël Koné was seven years old, he and his mother moved from Ivory Coast to Montréal. On Friday, the 23-year-old will get the chance to represent the Canadian men's national team in his home city for the first time. 

Canada take on Australia at a sold-out Stade Saputo in an international friendly (7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT on OneSoccer, TSN and RDS), where Koné played some of his first professional minutes while playing for CF Montréal in MLS between 2021 and 2022. 

Ahead of the match, Koné joined OneSoccer's Kristian Jack on THE SIT-DOWN presented by Visa. They discussed everything from his recent move to Sassuolo, why he is enjoying his football again after a turbulent end to 2025 and a special homecoming. 

"I came here as a kid, just me and my mom trying to build a life for ourselves and I got embraced by this city, it showed me so much," Koné said. "The culture, the people, the weather, the cold, coming from Africa it was different. So I'm grateful, and I'm proud to say I'm from Montréal and more so Canadian. Coming back here and having a chance to play a game means a lot." 

This past year has presented numerous challenges for Koné. He was unceremoniously removed from the plans in Marseille, leading to a loan deal with Rennes at the end of last season before a permanent move to Italy with Sassuolo. Over the summer, his mother struggled with a health issue, requiring him to go home and miss parts of this summer's Concacaf Gold Cup. On Friday, with the situation behind them, he's excited that his mom will get to see him play live for the first time in a while. 

Canada and Koné both come into this match in great form and confidence. Koné has settled in brilliantly with Sassuolo in Serie A, recently scoring his first goal for the club against Udinese. The men's national team, meanwhile, picked up back-to-back wins on European soil for the first time in its history during last month's international window: defeating Romania 3-0 and Wales 1-0. Koné started both matches. 

"We played good opponents, a lot of respect for them, and we were able to deliver a performance, have a result, and play the way we wanted to play," said Koné of Canada's September window. "Sometimes you can win a game, but it doesn't go the way you planned the game. So it was even more fun seeing that we were able to achieve that and it was more like now we're getting somewhere with our vision, or where we want to go...and thankfully I was able to express my ball." 

The window was not without controversy for the midfielder, however. In the 64th minute, with Canada leading 1-0 against Romania, Koné was substituted out of the match, leading to him voicing his displeasure to Canada manager Jesse Marsch. The two, however, have since addressed the matter publicly, going in front of the press before the following game against Wales in a display of unity. 

"I think with the incident that happened, it was public, and I always say like you cannot do a public disrespect and then a discreet excuse," said Koné. "As much as I spoke to my teammates and the coaching staff, I felt like people needed to know where I stood. So for me, it was a normal thing to do. I'm a man, I respect everybody around me, I'm not perfect. So as much as I can make a mistake, I can know like I made a mistake, I need to talk to people, I need to apologize." 

Now, that's all truly behind him, and Koné has proven himself to be a key part of what this national team is looking to do going forward. Marsch said in a media availability on Thursday that Koné will start on Friday, and he could not be more excited, with many friends, mentors and family in attendance. 

"The first purpose is to win the game, and have a great performance," said Koné. "But it's also to give a great performance for the people who helped me to get to where I am. And just show them the love back."