While his Canada teammates are being run through a typically intense Jesse Marsch training session, Moise Bombito is tucked away inside a goal, trying desperately to find balance.
The hulking 6ft 3in center-back’s forearms bulge. Working with Canada’s trainers, Bombito pulls himself up on a large elastic band hooked to the crossbar. That’s a plus: it’s Bombito’s strength that makes him stand out on an up-and-coming Canada team.
But Bombito’s left leg sticks out precariously. As he bounces to the ground, he tests how much weight he can put solely on that leg. In October, Bombito fractured his left tibia while playing for his club side, Nice. He has not played since. There is still a protruding bump on Bombito’s shin.
Bombito and Canada Soccer want the bump and the injury concerns to disappear before the most historic tournament ever for the player and Canada’s men’s national team.
“If I put all the pressure on it,” Bombito said of his left leg, pausing slightly, “then I don’t know.”
Though Bombito is dealing with a major injury, you might not know it from the smile he constantly shows in Canada camp and the cheery tone with which he shares even the most painful information. Head coach Marsch wants Bombito to become a leader for Canada because of his cheery disposition and outlandish talent. This summer at the World Cup, Bombito’s ebullience and playful attitude could make him a star.
But first, balance.
“I have to do things slowly and gradually,” Bombito said, “and then hopefully I don’t need any help anymore.”
How slowly? How gradually? For Bombito and the national team, getting the balance right between pushing him to get back to his explosive self and ensuring he doesn’t aggravate his injury is a delicate one. It could greatly impact their World Cup.
There is a reason Bombito’s injury sent shockwaves through Canadian soccer. Bombito might be the team’s most important player. Before his injury, he played every single minute under Marsch. During the March international window, Canada’s backline made multiple errors that cost goals. The defense never really looked in sync the way it does when Bombito is in the fold.
“My bone was not healing properly,” Bombito said of his injury. “It was taking its time, man.”
It’s that time that Canada now appear to be worried about. Missing Bombito at the World Cup would be as massive a blow as any other injury.
“(Bombito) has still got a ways to go,” Marsch said during this window of his star’s injury, adding that his recovery is behind schedule.
In an interview with The Athletic, Bombito said he would be ready for the World Cup. But he might be cutting it close, too.
“I don’t think there’s any concern (over missing the World Cup) because there is plenty of time for me to recover properly,” Bombito said. “But it might be a matter of me not having any, or many, games under my belt.”
How many games? Bombito is already looking ahead to a point when the World Cup isn’t on the horizon, but instead imminent.
“There will be the two friendlies in June. So that will count,” Bombito said. “But at club level, maybe there’s no games, maybe there’s four.”
And so while we’re looking at the balance Bombito needs to strike, Canada need to take the good with the bad. Will perhaps their most important player be ready for the World Cup? It sure seems so. Will Bombito be firing on all cylinders with plenty of matches under his belt? That remains to be seen. And that’s the challenge Bombito and Canada will be dealing with in the weeks ahead.
Moise Bombito suffered a devastating injury last October. (Frederic Dides / AFP via Getty Images)
“At the World Cup, not giving goals away is the most important thing,” Marsch said after Canada’s 0-0 draw with Tunisia on Tuesday, further underscoring Bombito’s importance. “If you want to have a good tournament, if you want to get out of the group, if you want to make a run, you have to be a strong defensive team that doesn’t give much away.”
Yet the lingering concern that Bombito won’t be at his most explosive come June is very real.
Bombito is doing his part, physically, to get there. After spending a month and a half after surgery in crutches, he continues to spend his days doing squats and grinding through Cybex leg extension exercises to improve his strength.
Mentally, Bombito also had to endure challenges.
“At first, you feel like it’s the end of the world,” Bombito said of his injury. “You start thinking about stuff you shouldn’t be thinking about.”
That included missing the World Cup. October to December 2025 was a dark time mentally, Bombito insists.
“But I’m someone who really doesn’t want to show how I’m feeling to people because it can affect their emotions,” Bombito said. “I don’t want to bring a bad mood to anyone. There’s not really much people can do. Let’s say I tell my girlfriend I’m not feeling good because I’m not on the pitch. What can she really do? Why would I put that burden on her?”
Just before his injury, Bombito travelled to a local church in Nice for a Sunday service. He was moved by the pianist’s work. Bombito said he approached the pianist and humbly asked for lessons on how to play the piano. The pianist agreed once it became clear who Bombito was – a star defender for the local Ligue 1 side.
After a few lessons, Bombito struck out on his own. He has a piano in his Nice home. Most days, he would decide which song he wanted to teach himself and search for tutorials on YouTube.
Bombito might make mistakes learning new songs, but the tutorials helped him through lonely winter months off the pitch. And back in Canada this international window, he showed off his new skills on a piano in the team’s hotel, near the meal room. A video clip of Bombito playing tunes this camp quickly exploded online.
“It’s more passion and the desire to learn,” Bombito said of playing the piano. “And I’ve had that for a long time.”
