Luck gave him… an extra life, but today the Cameroon coach Rigobert Song he hopes to stay alive along with his Indomitable Lions in FIFA World Cup in Qataragainst Brazil.

Widely regarded as the greatest defender in Cameroon’s football history, he is enjoying his fifth World Cup, but this time as a manager rather than a player. But who could have imagined this when, six years ago, the former defender of Liverpool, West Ham, Metz, Cologne and Salernitan, among others, fell into a coma from a stroke that turned the football world upside down.

It was in the fall of 2016 that Sun came one step closer to death after spending an entire month in a coma. Today he states that “out of 40 people who find themselves in this situation, 30 die and only 10 survive.”

But he was also lucky, because his life was saved not only by his will, but also by his … dog. As he told L’Equipe newspaper: “I was watching TV and felt very weak. While waiting for a guest, I went out and left the door of the house open. If I closed it, I would be finished, since my family was away. My dog ​​seemed to understand something and began to bark. Then the person I was waiting for came running and found me, fortunately in time, on the floor. Luck smiled at him again, as the president of the country sent him to Paris for treatment at his own expense, and there he was saved.

This year life again rewarded him for his determination, as in March, after he had fully recovered, he received a call from the president of the federation and his close friend Samuel Eto’o, offering to take over the technical leadership of Cameroon – a position far from easy given the pressure. below which is the “Indomitable Lions” selector.

Having earned this… extra life, as he put it, he is unlikely to sweat in a life-and-death battle with Algeria for a place in the World Cup in Qatar. Cameroon Songa got the ticket and tonight they will do everything they can to stay alive in the competition even if they face Brazil. But Song himself learned to deal with difficulties.