YOANE WISSA: THE ACID ATTACK SURVIVOR WHO BECAME FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 HERO FOR DR CONGO

Yoane Wissa may not be a new name for football fans due to his time with Brentford in the Premier League but not many are aware of his courageous story off the field.

Yoane Wissa celebrates after scoring in FIFA World Cup 2026

Yoane Wissa may not be a new name for football fans due to his time with Brentford in the Premier League but not many are aware of his courageous story off the field. The striker grabbed the headlines on Wednesday as he scored DR Congo's first World Cup goal in 52 years to clinch a historic 1-1 draw against Portugal. Joao Neves handed Portugal the lead early in the match but DR Congo did not give up and Wissa's powerful header was the perfect example of their grit and determination. While the whole world could not stop praising the striker for his brilliant performance, it was less than five years ago that he almost lost his eyesight after suffering an acid attack at his home in Lorient.

A woman, who was later identified as Laetitia P, posed as a fan and threw acid on his face. She even tried to kidnap his daughter but was ultimately caught and sentenced to 18 years in prison. 

It was just days ahead of his move to Brentford from Lorient and it seemed like his transfer can get affected by the accident.

"I opened a door, and had liquid thrown in my face. I screamed and could not breathe. My wife called the emergency services, and they told me to get under the shower to rinse my eyes. At the hospital they told me my eyes were burned. Someone had to come and rinse them out every hour. It has been a nightmare."

Since then I panic every time I hear a noise, and the only thing that kept me going was knowing my children are safe. I had surgery on both eyes, and the doctor told me I will need to use eye drops for the rest of my life.  Had I not been treated so quickly, the consequences would have been far worse," Wissa told the court.

However, he joined Brentford in 2021 and ended up making 149 appearances for the club over four seasons. He scored 49 goals during his time with the club and ultimately moved to Newcastle United in a big-money deal.

- Sayan Ghosh