When it comes to the popularity of football in countries around the world, Canada wouldn’t necessarily be the first you’d think of. With the seeming dominance of sports such as ice hockey, you could be forgiven for thinking Canada just isn’t that interested in the beautiful game.
The truth is that football is a sport that’s growing in popularity all the time in Canada and they are producing some excellent young talents that could light up the world stage in years to come. This is making it all the more exciting for avid PowerPlay Sportsbook Canada fans. Below are some of the best young players you should know about.
Alphonso Davies
Perhaps the best known of the young Canadian footballers, Alphonso Davies plies his trade in the Bundesliga playing for Bayern Munich. At just 22 years of age, he’s managed to rack up an impressive number of appearances for the club since his debut back in 2018/19.
He’s known for his attacking flair, explosive pace and versatility – being able to play in multiple positions, including left winger, central midfielder and wingback.
Davies has won countless individual honours over the past 4 years, including Bundesliga player of the month, rookie of the month and been part of the Bundesliga team of the season twice. He’s also won four Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich.
He’s also had success at international level, becoming the youngest player to play for the Canadian national team at just 16 years of age. He’s also the youngest player to score for the Canadian men’s national team, thanks to his goals in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2017.
Alphonso Davies is already an incredible player and is set to be an incredibly important star for both Bayern Munich and Canada in the future.
Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty
At just 18 years old, Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty is the youngest player on this list but has already managed to make a name for himself despite his young age.
Playing as winger in the MLS for Toronto FC, Marshall-Rutty has made almost 40 senior appearances over the past few seasons and has become an integral part of Toronot FC’s lineup. He also broke Alphonso Davies’ record of being the youngest player called up to the Canadian men’s national team when he was selected in January 2021.
He’s known for his dribbling skills and excellent passing ability that makes him a nightmare for defenders to deal with it. Although he’s playing in the MLS right now, a lot of people expect to see him in one of the major leagues around Europe in the next few years.
Jonathan David
Playing as a forward in League 1 for Lille, Jonathan David is one of the best young strikers around and has a very impressive scoring record considering he’s just 22 years old.
He started his senior career in the Belgian Pro League, playing for Gent and amassed an excellent record there, being the top scorer in the 2019/20 season. After moving to Lille in 2020, he’s continued banging in goals with 37 in 90 games so far. His goal scoring record for the Canadian national team is superb also, with 22 goals in 37 appearances.
As of the time of writing, he currently has 9 goals in 15 games for Lille, which no doubt has many other clubs in Europe paying attention. He is definitely a player to look out for over the coming years.
Liam Millar
Having played for both Fulham and Liverpool academies, Liam Millar is a young winger with excellent experience.
Having spent 3 years in Liverpool’s academy, a young Liam Millar found it understandably difficult to break in the first time due to the presence of established super stars such as Moh Salah and Sadio Mane. He decided on a move to the Scottish Premier League, where he made 33 appearances for Kilmarnock and currently plays for Basel in the Swiss Super League.
He’s impressed since his move to Basel, scoring 7 times for them last season in the league alone. At just 23, there’s plenty of time for him to continue developing and a move back to the Premier League one day in the future is not out of the question.
Tajon Buchanan
23 year old winger, Tajon Buchanan plays for Club Brugge in Belgium and is also a key part of the Canadian men’s national team.
He started his career at Sigma FC and then moved on to play for New England Revolution in the MLS for 3 seasons, being part of the MLS best XI in 2021, before moving to Club Brugge in the same year.
His showings for Canada have been excellent and in 2020, he won the Canadian Young Player of the Year Award. Earlier in 2022, he scored in the 4-0 defeat of Jamaica, which helped Canada qualify for the world cup for the first time in 36 years.
