As the men’s soccer national team reaches its highest FIFA ranking position, situating the team in 26th place, there’s also another angle to view this success.
Canada is having one of its greatest eras with its soccer players on European teams.
Many of them are not only currently a starter for their respective clubs, but also, economically speaking, their value has increased.
Just two weeks ago, on Oct. 4, Canadian players Tajon Buchanan and Tani Oluwaseyi started the game with their team Villarreal against Real Madrid in the mythic Santiago Bernabeu.
Despite the 3-1 loss by El Submarino Amarillo against Real, this shows a current trend where Canadian players are becoming a key part of their squads in renowned teams.
Stats are not the only sign that Canadian players are making themselves a space within the European leagues.
According to Transfer Markt, four of the 10 most valuable Canadian players increased their 2025 market value compared to 2024, with all of them currently playing in European teams.
Twenty-five-year-old Oluwaseyi has already had an impact in his debut season at the maximum European level after being transferred to Villarreal from Minnesota United FC the past summer.
With six games played so far, he’s scored one goal and provided one assist, and has already played UEFA Champions League this season, great numbers considering his adaptation time, his recent move to Europe and the league he’s playing on now.
His current value is €8 million, a rise of €5 million from last December when he was still playing in the MLS.
Oluwaseyi has managed to adapt to the first-level soccer exigence with Villarreal currently placed in third in La Liga, just behind Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona, respectively.
Another notable example is Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise centre-forward Promise David, who had a remarkable increase in his market value, going upwards to €13 million from €1.5 million in December 2024.
The 24-year-old Brampton-native has six goals in 17 games played so far this season after a fantastic 2024-2025 season.
He appeared in 39 games, scoring a total of 24 goals and providing four assists with his club, along with the Belgian Jupiter Pro League title in the 2024-2025 season, and the Belgian Super Cup of 2024.
It is worth noting that the current ranking of the Canadian Men's National Team doesn’t include injured players, so stars like Alphonso Davies, Alistair Johnston and Moise Bombito would appear in the list as well if they weren’t injured.
This current state hasn’t been decisive in the national team, especially in big tournaments.
The last and best example is Les Rouges being surprisingly knocked out on a penalty shootout against Guatemala in last summer’s Gold Cup.
Canada’s last friendly games against Australia and Colombia finished with a 1-0 loss and a 0-0 draw, but gave opportunities to new players to shine as well.
Centre-back Luc de Fougerolles displayed a solid performance for Les Rouges against Los Cafeteros, sorting out the pressure from Colombian players in decisive parts of the game and cutting out Colombian counterattacks, especially in the first half.
At just 20, de Fougerolles has seen his market value increase as well while also playing in the Belgian league with Dender, despite the club being the current tailenders.
The next friendly international games are scheduled against Ecuador at home and Venezuela in a neutral location.
And with a squad mostly made up of players younger than 30 years old, there will be more opportunities for new players to demonstrate their qualities in the national team, just as they do with their clubs.
