The 2026 FIFA World Cup may still be 10 months away, but the European season could not have started any better for Tajon Buchanan and Jonathan David, likely to be two of Canada’s key players at the tournament.
Both completed transfers this summer, with Buchanan securing a permanent deal with La Liga’s Villarreal after struggling for playing time with Inter Milan, while David made his long-awaited move to a European giant—Juventus—after five seasons with Lille.
In their first starts of the season, they put down performances that will go down in the history of Canadian and North American players in Europe.
For Buchanan, it was a hat trick for Villarreal in a 5–0 win over Girona, and for David, the first goal of Juventus’s season in a 2–0 victory over Palma.
“There’s no question this is the best player pool in the history of the Canadian national team,” Canada manager Jesse Marsch told TSN ahead of their debuts. “They’re all playing at big clubs, they’re all being challenged in big ways, which I think is a big part in developing as a person and as a player …being put in an environment that is very, very challenging and where the levels are very, very high.”
