Canadian winger Liam Millar says he understands the moment Marcelo Flores is in after the Tigres winger ruptured an ACL, ending his World Cup dreams. Flores will have surgery on Friday, and Millar plans to speak with him when he’s ready—offering the same minds
On a Sunday afternoon in the Liga MX chaos that can flip a season in minutes, Marcelo Flores ended up on the pitch unable to get back up. The diagnosis—an ACL rupture—came fast, and with it his World Cup dreams crashed to an end.
For Liam Millar, watching it was hard to put into words. Flores is a national team teammate at the centre of Canada’s World Cup story. Millar, too, knows what it feels like when that dream stops.
Millar suffered the same injury while playing for Hull against Burnley in England’s Championship in October 2024, and he says he’s already bracing himself for the conversation he hasn’t been able to have yet.
Flores will undergo surgery on Friday. Millar said he will speak to him when he’s ready, adding that he doesn’t want to push him.
“You’ve got to allow yourself to have that moment,” Millar said. “There comes a point where you fully realize what’s happened and it feels like your dreams are falling apart. You have to accept that reality first. Once you’ve accepted it, then you can shift your focus to coming back stronger than ever. That was my mentality and that’s the advice I’d give him. I’ll speak to him when he’s ready. I don’t want to push him.”.
Millar believes the injury doesn’t have to be the final word. He points to his own comeback and to Alphonso Davies as another example of how, when healthy, players can be “electric.”
“I think I’m proof that you can come back and still play at a very high level. Alphonso Davies is another example. When he’s been healthy, he’s been electric. These injuries don’t have to define you. You can come back even better.”
He doesn’t say it like a slogan. He remembers the uncertainty in the middle of rehab, when the future stops being clear.
“There was definitely a period during rehab when I didn’t know what was going to happen. I didn’t even know if I’d play football again.” Millar explained. “There was a phase where I just didn’t understand what was going on in my life. I kind of blanked everything out. I doubted whether I’d play again. whether I’d be ready for Canada. whether I’d be able to help the team the way I wanted to.”.
Then came the slow rebuilding—measured, not miraculous.
“But the key thing was getting through that period and finding my way back.” He said. “I’m a firm believer that nobody is at 100 per cent all the time. Nobody is at zero per cent all the time, either. I always try to be around 80 or 85 per cent mentally. Sometimes you dip below that and sometimes you go above it. When we got promoted, I was definitely at 100 per cent.”.
That promotion matters. because it’s already part of Millar’s new chapter—and it’s one more step Canadian fans are likely to chase with their eyes this season. Hull City earned promotion last month. beating Canadian teammate Alfie Jones’ Middlesbrough in the Championship promotion playoff to secure a spot in next season’s Premier League.
The road to that moment wasn’t smooth. Hull’s late playoff opponent shifted after Southampton were expelled for being found guilty of spying on Middlesbrough ahead of the semifinal. Millar described the surreal switch in planning.
“Yeah, it was crazy,” Millar said. “We spent a couple of sessions preparing for Southampton because we thought we’d be playing them. Obviously, they play a certain way, so we were focused on that. Then, during the week, we found out it was most likely going to be Middlesbrough. I heard our coach say the analysts stayed up until five in the morning preparing a new video package for Middlesbrough.”.
Promotion from the Championship to the Premier League is the sort of step many players spend their whole careers chasing. Millar says he isn’t taking it for granted, even as he thinks his game should translate well.
“I actually think my game probably suits the Premier League even more. Especially with the way we’ll most likely end up playing, I think it should suit me very well,” he suggested.
For Hull and for Millar. the short-term target is straightforward: “go back and fight for my place.” He added that after the World Cup he will return “determined to earn my spot and play as many games as possible. ” knowing that promotion always changes the question marks—who the club brings in. what changes get made.
But the World Cup is still front and centre in his mind.
Millar is a left winger by trade, and he has also played on the right, saying he’s happy as long as he’s on the pitch. He pointed to the way Canada used him when coach Jesse Marsch first took charge two years ago—putting him on the left with Alphonso Davies.
That partnership is now complicated by Millar’s own knee injury and by the likelihood Davies won’t be available to start the World Cup. Millar also said competition on the left-wing spot has been weakened with Ali Ahmed also struggling with injury.
With that, Millar expects his chances could be strengthened—especially with a Richie Laryea combination with him already looking like “a trusted and effective starting decision.”
Still, his message isn’t just about minutes. It’s about what the tournament means to the next generation.
“Of course, everyone wants to go as far as possible in the tournament,” Millar said. “That’s the goal for the team and for the country. But personally, I think about the kids who are going to watch.”
He explained what he lacked when he was growing up.
“When I was growing up, I never got to watch Canada at a World Cup. I never got to see what Canadian players looked like on the biggest stage.”
Now, Canada is hosting.
“Now we’re hosting a World Cup and. in my opinion. we have the best team Canada has ever had.” Millar said. “Every time I step onto the field, I want to set an example. I want kids watching to see what it means to represent Canada and understand the standard that’s required. That’s what motivates me.”.
For Millar, the injury memories make every step feel heavier and more deliberate. He has already ticked off one childhood dream—Premier League promotion. Now the next one is waiting on home soil.
After a solitary appearance off the bench four years ago, the World Cup represents a chance to play a leading role. And for a player who knows exactly how quickly a season can change—and how a comeback can still matter—this moment isn’t just an opportunity.
It’s a responsibility.
Liam Millar Marcelo Flores ACL injury Canada World Cup Hull City Burnley Championship promotion Premier League Jesse Marsch Alphonso Davies Richie Laryea Alfie Jones Ali Ahmed World Cup on home soil