The European football/soccer season is wrapping up and many Canadian MNT players are about finished their seasons there. With the upcoming Canadian Shield tournament and CONCACAF Gold Cup in the next few months, there won’t be much sun and sand for them this summer.
So how did these Canadian players do this past season? Let’s take a quick tour across Europe and take a look at how several Canadian MNT players fared. We obviously won’t go through all of them, just the highlights.
England
Daniel Jebbison: Striker: AFC Bournemouth: English Premier League
Jebbison was born in Oakville, Ontario to a Jamaican father and English mother. In 2017, he and his family moved to England. After representing the Three Lions at the youth level, Jebbison switched allegiances to Canada in February and was in the squad for the CONCACAF Nations League in March.
The 21-year-old split time between Championship side Watford and Bournemouth. He was recalled by the Cherries in January after 13 appearances (three starts) and no goals. At Bournemouth, he made 16 appearances, all off the bench as they finished ninth in the Premier League. Jebbison scored one goal and that was a consolation one against Manchester City.
There is still lots of room for growth for Jebbison. He has good pace and athleticism but needs to work on his composure in front of goal. Perhaps more minutes with Bournemouth or somewhere else (like the Championship again) could be beneficial.
Liam Millar: Attacking Midfielder/Winger: Hull City: English Championship
Millar just completed his first season with Hull City after signing for an undisclosed fee from Basel.
It was a rough year for the Tigers as they just barely escaped relegation. They and Luton Town both had 49 points but Hull just survived thanks to goal differential. (-10 for Hull and -24 for Luton.)
For Millar, it was also a rough year for him. In October, he tore his ACL and has not played since. Before the injury, he made 11 appearances and started six. Millar managed to get a goal and tally two assists.
Millar is still recovering from his injury but has trained with the squad. It has been a long road to recovery for Millar. Hopefully, he can be that attacking spark for Hull and Canada soon.
Luc De Fougerolles: Centre-back: Fulham U21s: PL2
We are including De Fougerolles because he has been called up by Jesse Marsch for the upcoming Canadian Shield tournament.
De Fougerolles is a versatile centre-back who is great at passing and 1v1 defending. He has been part of Fulham’s U21 squad in the Premier League 2. He made five appearances with Fulham as they finished second. In the PL2 Elimination Playoffs, De Fougerolles made two appearances, but Fulham were knocked out by Southampton in the quarterfinals.
The Canadian Shield tournament is a great oppurtunity for De Fougerolles to get minutes and show a wider audience what he can do.
Scotland
Alistair Johnston: Right-Back: Celtic: Scottish Premiership
Johnston continues to find success with the green and white.
In the Scottish Premiership, the former Nashville SC and CF Montreal right-back made 29 appearances. He managed to score four goals and get 10 assists. Johnston helped Celtic win the Premiership for the fourth year in a row. He also helped them win the Scottish League Cup, but they lost the Scottish Cup final to Aberdeen on penalties.
Johnston continues to delight Celtic fans with his passing, tackles and interceptions. Perhaps a move to the Premier League could be in the cards sooner or later?
France
Jonathan David: Striker: Lille: Ligue 1
David leaves Lille after five years with a legacy of scoring goals. 2024-25 had David scoring 25 goals in 48 appearances across all competitions, including 16 in Ligue 1 play.
Lille finished fourth in Ligue 1 and lost in the Round of 16 in the Coupe De France and UEFA Champions League. Now the question is, where will David play next season? He is a free agent and many teams across Europe are vying for his signature.
Theo Bair: Striker: AJ Auxerre: Ligue 1
After a career-best 15-goal season with Motherwell in Scotland, Bair signed for French club AJ Auxerre last summer.
Unfortunately, Bair wasn’t as clinical in 2024-25. He scored two goals in 29 appearances and 11 of those were starts. Auxerre finished 11th in Ligue 1 with an 11-9-14 record.
Bair also hasn’t been called up for Canadian MNT since 2024 as Tani Oluwaseyi, Jebbison and Promise David have moved ahead of him in the depth chart. Next season, he had a chance to prove he belongs at Auxerre and can try to earn another call-up for Canada.
Derek Cornelius: Centre-back: Olympique Marseille: Ligue 1
Cornelius has been a regular with the Canadian setup. After impressing with Malmo in Sweden and winning two Allsvenskan titles, the former Vancouver Whitecap made his move to southern France.
With OM, Cornelius made 21 appearances and started 17 of them. He has been a steady part of the backline at Marseille and as a result, they finished second in Ligue 1. Cornelius will be playing in the Champions League next season. He has really grown over the past few years and next season, he will have a chance to shine on Europe’s biggest stage.
Ismaël Koné: Central Midfielder: Stade Rennais: (on loan from Olympique Marseille) Ligue 1
Koné joined Cornelius at Marseille last summer after impressing at Watford.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t in favour with OM manager Roberto De Zerbi and a right ankle injury at the beginning of the season did not help. With Marseille, Koné made just eight appearances and three of them were starts. Koné did not have a single goal contribution at OM. In February, he was sent out on loan to fellow Ligue 1 side Stade Rennais.
In the northeast of France, the 22-year-old made 13 appearances, which included four starts. He played 469 minutes at Rennes, 109 minutes more than his time at Marseille. Koné even managed to score twice and tally an assist.
Still, Koné deserves more minutes as his creativity can make him a threat. Rennes manager Habib Beye has expressed his desire for the club to sign Koné permanently. Rennes reportedly have a €14 million option to buy Koné from Marseille. Will it happen? We shall see this summer.
Moise Bombito: Centre-Back: OGC Nice: Ligue 1
Bombito’s rise has been meteoric. From playing community college soccer to NCAA to Ligue 1 Quebec to USL League Two to MLS and finally, to Ligue 1, Bombito’s journey is something to marvel over.
Bombito has been an important player for Nice, just as much as he is for Canada. He started 25 out of his 27 Ligue 1 appearances and helped them finish fourth and gain a spot in the Europa League next season. Bombito’s physical presence, passing and speed have continued to wow fans in Nice and Canada.
Unfortunately, Bombito will miss the Canadian Shield and Gold Cup due to a wrist injury that needed surgery. Marsch has a chance to experiment with finding a partner for Cornelius in Bombito’s absence.
Spain
Cyle Larin: Striker: Real Mallorca: La Liga
Larin has had a tough time at Mallorca. Last season he scored three goals. This past season there was an improvement with seven goals in 32 La Liga matches. (21 starts.) Mallorca finished 10th.
However, that is still underwhelming and Larin has faced scrutiny from the fans and media. Speaking of the media, according to Marca and Ser Deportivos Baleares, (via Canadian Soccer Daily) Larin is looking to leave Mallorca this summer.
Marca has reported that Larin hasn’t adapted to life there and hasn’t been a fit on the pitch and in the locker room. Ser Deportivos Baleares reported that Larin is aware he lost the support of the fans and Mallorca’s management.
With Larin’s loss of form, his days starting for Canada are on thin ice. A move elsewhere is best for him and could revive his career. But where?
Tajon Buchanan: Midfielder/Winger: Villarreal: (on loan from Inter Milan) La Liga
Buchanan suffered a broken tibia which required surgery before the Copa America last summer. He returned to the pitch with Inter Milan last fall but ended up only playing six matches off the bench.
Needing more minutes, the Brampton native was sent out on loan to Spain’s Villarreal in January. Buchanan made 13 appearances which included four starts. He did score one goal and tallied two assists.
The goal was a big one. It was an 80th-minute winner against FC Barcelona on May 18. That goal secured Villarreal a Champions League spot.
Buchanan’s loan has a buy option. But according to TSN, Villarreal isn’t too keen on exercising the option. So it seems likely Buchanan will go back to Inter Milan for next season. But can he get more minutes? If not, perhaps another loan or a permanent move would help.
Portugal
Stephen Eustaquio: Central/Defensive Midfielder: FC Porto: Primeira Liga
Eustaquio has been the engine for the Canadian MNT with his defensive work and creativity. With Porto last season, he made 30 appearances and started 22 of them. Porto finished third. But it was a rollercoaster of a year. Vitor Bruno was sacked as manager in January, seven months into his tenure. That was due to poor form in the league and a Portuguese League Cup final semi-final exit. Jose Tavares was interim for a week before and Porto managed to pick up good form under new manager Martin Anselmi.
Eustaquio did not have a single goal contribution this past season. But his progressive passing and defensive underlying numbers (in the 80 and 90th percentiles) show he is still important to Porto’s midfield.
Unfortunately, Eustaquio will miss the Gold Cup (but has been named to the Canadian Shield Squad) due to Porto participating in the revamped FIFA Club World Cup. But Marsch has said that Eustaquio will be on the Gold Cup squad in case Porto gets knocked out early and Canada is still alive. Porto plays Palmerias, Inter Miami and Al Ahly in their Club World Cup group.
Germany
Alphonso Davies: Left-back: Bayern Munich: Bundesliga
Davies had his season cut short after tearing his ACL in the CONCACAF Nations League.
In 19 Bundesliga appearances, Davies scored one goal and two assists. Bayern got the title back after losing it to Bayer Leverkusen the year before. In the Champions League, Davies managed to score two goals but Bayern got knocked out by Inter Milan in the quarterfinals.
There is no timeline for when Davies returns, but there is no doubt he can get back to being his best.
Switzerland
Mathieu Choinière: Defensive Midfielder: Grasshoppers: Swiss Super League
Choinière left CF Montreal last summer for Swiss side Grasshoppers. He made eight starts out of 17 appearances and scored just one goal.
Grasshoppers finished 10th in the regular season but that put them in the “relegation group.” That meant teams seeded from seventh to 12 battled each other out to avoid relegation and the relegation playoff. Choinière and Grasshoppers fell into the relegation playoff. They played the first leg against FC Aarau this past Saturday and won 4-0. Choinière came off the bench in the 87th minute. Unless a monumental collapse happens, Choinière and Grasshoppers should survive.
Belgium
Promise David: Striker: Union SG: Belgian Pro League
David has been a rising star in the Canadian setup. Born to Nigerian parents in Brampton, David switched from Nigeria to Canada last February. He earned a call-up to the CONCACAF Nations League, is on the Canadian Shield squad and most likely will be for the Gold Cup squad as well.
He signed for Belgian side Union SG last summer from Estonia’s Nõmme Kalju. It is safe to say he has been a success in his first season there.
David scored 19 goals and managed four assists with Union SG. He led Union SG to their first league title in 90 years by scoring two goals off the bench against Gent. Then, he dropped an interview to remember.
David’s pace, physicality and shot have made him more known than he was a year ago. At this rate, he won’t be at Union SG for long. Big things are ahead for the 23-year-old.
Croatia
Niko Sigur: Central Midfielder/Right-Back: Hajduk Split: SuperSport HNL
Another dual national, Sigur switched allegiances to the Canadian MNT from Croatia last fall. The Burnaby, BC native has already played a couple of friendlies and a match at the Nations League.
His versatility, technical skills and defensive work rate are reasons why he has been getting called up. With Hajduk Split, Sigur made 28 appearances and 17 of those were starts. He even managed to score three goals and get one assist. Hajduk Split ended up finishing third.
The 21-year-old will get a chance to further prove himself this summer in the Canadian Shield and likely the Gold Cup as well.
Area 51 Sports Network will provide coverage of Canada’s men’s national team this summer!
