James Rodríguez is being praised as a hero in the Qatar Stars League after saving the life of a colleague on Jan. 8. The Colombian was playing for Al-Rayyan when Al-Wakrah defender Ousmane Coulibaly collapsed on the goal-line due to a cardiac arrest, just seconds after he sent the ball to a corner kick.
James Rodríguez saves rival's life in Qatar
Reports say while everybody was panicking, Rodríguez ran to Coulibaly and performed a life-saving maneuver. The phrase is not an oversell — the doctors who took care of Coulibaly in the stadium applauded his intervention.
"James helped by adjusting his rival’s head so that he could breathe properly," said Al-Wakrah's doctor, Mukhtar Shabaan, on Wednesday.
JAMES RODRÍGUEZ IS A HERO!
The Colombian player was vital in saving the life of Ousmane Coulbaly, who suffered a cardiac arrest during a game!James helped by adjusting his rival’s head so that he could breathe properly, according to doctors. pic.twitter.com/qoI0cfwWeC
— beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) January 12, 2022
Seconds after, the medical team arrived at the scene, continued the treatment and took Coulibaly to the hospital, where he is now out of danger.
In an emotional post on Instagram, Coulibaly's wife, Aurélie, thanked everybody for keeping her husband alive.
"Ousmane is in stable condition due to his heart attack. He regains consciousness slowly but surely," she wrote.
View this post on Instagram
The game was rightly suspended when Al-Rayyan was in front 1-0, thanks to one Rodriguez assist.
On Monday, actions resumed with a ceremony in honor of Coulibaly and the doctors who saved his life. Rodríguez? He scored twice, including a sublime free kick, in a 3-0 win.
ممر شرفي للفريق الطبي لدوره في انقاذ لاعب الوكرة عثمان كوليبالي pic.twitter.com/g69sfjYoXw
— AlRayyanSC (@AlrayyanSC) January 10, 2022
| هدف خاميس
James's Goal@jamesdrodriguez pic.twitter.com/LOkSoRS6hD— AlRayyanSC (@AlrayyanSC) January 10, 2022
| هدف خاميس الثاني والثالث لفريقنا
Second Goal for James's @jamesdrodriguez pic.twitter.com/4yfEDhdZr1— AlRayyanSC (@AlrayyanSC) January 10, 2022