Mooloolaba Sun City footballer Andres Canales forced to get costly knee reconstruction after a tough tackle

A Coast football player faces financial stress and a long road to recovery after a tackle resulted in urgent surgery and two screws in his knee.

A Coast football player is facing significant financial stress and a long road to recovery after a “pretty tough tackle” resulted in urgent surgery and two screws in his knee.

Andres Canales, originally from Chile, was playing for his Mooloolaba Sun City team in a Sunshine Coast Churches Soccer Association fixture when late in the game he hit the ground from a rough tackle.

Already up 5-0 at the time, the 29-year-old said his knee twisted with the opposing player landing on his leg.

An MRI the next day revealed the worst, with Canales suffering the complete rupture of his anterior cruciate ligament, meniscus, and fracture of his lateral femoral condyle.

“The (doctor) said it was pretty bad and needed surgery as soon as possible,” Canales said.

A tough tackle in a Coast football match forced Andres Canales to have an urgent knee reconstruction.

Rather than facing up to a year on a public waiting list, Canales opted to borrow money from friends and have the $10,000 knee reconstruction last week.

“(I couldn’t) wait one year and then another year for recovery,” he said.

“I needed to get back to a normal life as soon as possible.”

Canales has been in Australia for four years and currently lives at Dicky Beach with his partner.

While he’s just started his road to recovery physically, Canales still faces some troubling financial times ahead.

Prior to the accident Canales was self employed as a tradie but is now stuck without an income while he recovers.

“I have to pay the (surgery) money back to friends and I’m not working at all and can’t apply for Centrelink because I’m not a full Australian citizen,” he said.

“It’s been really bad.

“I might have to sell my ute to keep up with living (expenses), it’s the only thing I have and only cash I can get is selling the ute.”

A tough tackle in a Coast football match forced Andres Canales to have an urgent knee reconstruction.

Concerned about his plight, Canales teammates encouraged and helped him to make a GoFundMe page.

Created last week the page has already raised $4600.

Canales said the funds would go to paying back his friends and for living expenses as he recovers.

He was surprised and grateful to all who had donated so far.

“I didn’t expect anything from anyone but since this happened everyone has come on to give help,” he said.

To help out Canales head to his GoFundMe page.