Top 10 greatest footballers from Canada

Canada have given rise to many talented footballers.

Canada have recently grabbed a lot of attention after their impressive performance in the latest edition of Copa America 2024, where they not only managed to make it to the quarter-finals by knocking out Peru and 2016 champions Chile in a very tight group but also managed to defeat Venezuela in penalties to seal their semi-final berth against world champions Argentina. It will be interesting to see if the land of maple syrup can get the better of La Albiceleste to make it to the finals.

Over the years and decades, Les Rouges have produced some of the finest footballers from the American subcontinent who have not only starred for European giants like Bayern Munich and Real Madrid but have time and again proved their mettle in the top divisions of European football.

Though Canadian internationals may not have fared well in bringing joy and happiness to the maple leaf loyalists, in the last edition of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, they exhibited their entertaining brand of football. Also, they managed to find the back of the net against two semi-finalists, Croatia and Morocco.

In today’s feature, we find out the list of the top ten men’s footballers from the land of maple leaves who have shined like a sparkling diamond in the dark mines of European football.

10. Scott Arfield

Arfield initially represented his nation of birth, Scotland, on several occasions before moving on to make his appearance for the birth nation of his father, Canada. Scott, who began his professional footballing journey with the Scottish outfit Falkirk, made 108 appearances and netted 13 goals before moving on to play for The Clarets, where he played 177 matches and scored 21 goals for Burnley.

After showing his heroics for the Glasgow Rangers for almost half a decade, Arfield decided to ply his trade in Major League Soccer when he joined the North Carolina-based outfit Charlotte FC. He has so far made over 19 appearances for the Canada national team and has previously been part of the Rangers squad that was inches away from clinching the Europa League in 2021-22.

9. Julian De Guzman

The current sporting director for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer, Julian is one of the Canadian veterans who made a record-breaking 89 appearances for his national side. He was the first ever Canadian to feature in the Spanish top division, La Liga, where he was also voted the 2007-08 Deportivo La Coruna Player of the Year.

He was also felicitated as the Canadian Player of the Year in 2008 and won the CONCACAF Gold Cup Most Valuable Player of the Year award in 2007, becoming only the second player from the land of maple leaves to achieve this incredible feat. Julian has played a total of 370 matches in the topmost divisions of German, Spanish, and American football.

8. Paul Stalteri

Currently deployed as the assistant coach of the Canada national team, Paul, who began his journey with Toronto Lynx, went on to complete a domestic double by lifting the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal trophy with German powerhouse Werder Bremen in the 2003-04 season. After plying his trade in the German top division, Paul decided to switch gears when he signed for the North London-based outfit Tottenham Hotspur in 2005.

He made over 40 appearances for the Lilywhites before going on loan to Fulham. He captained the Canadian side on several occasions and in 2017, Paul was inducted into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame.

7. Owen Hargreaves

A Canadian citizen with an English father and a Welsh mother, Hargreaves had the luxury to choose between England, Wales, and Canada. Owen, who made over 145 appearances for the German giants Bayern Munich, was part of the Bundesliga-winning campaign for the Bavarians for four seasons. He later signed for the Red Devils, where he played 27 matches and was part of the 2007-08 squad that won the Premier League as well as the UEFA Champions League.

Had he not been plagued with incessant injuries, he could have been one of the greatest Canadian internationals to play in the topmost division of English football. After hanging up his boots, he is often seen as a football analyst and pundit on many media agencies like CNN and TNT Sports.

6. Junior Hoilett

David Wayne Hoilett, who is popularly referred to as Junior Hoilett, joined the English outfit Blackburn Rovers at the tender age of 13, where he made over 81 appearances for the Blues and Whites until signing for Queen Park Rangers in 2012, where he scored 12 goals in over 100 appearances for the club.

He then switched sides to Cardiff City in 2016, where he was part of the squad that became the Championship runners-up in 2017. After a lot of initial drama about whether he would choose to represent Jamaica, England, or Canada, he officially declared to make his appearance for the Maple Leaves, where he has played over 63 matches so far and has found the back of the net on 16 occasions.

5. Fernando Aguiar

After Alex Bunbury, Aguiar is said to have made the most impact as a Canadian international in Portuguese football. Aguiar, who had both Portuguese and Canadian citizenship, chose to represent the Reds, where he grew up and spent the majority of his initial years. Ironically, he made his debut for Canada against Portugal in January 1995.

He has made over a massive 395 appearances in club football, spanning teams like Benfica, with whom he won the Taca de Portugal in 2003-04, Gondomar, Nacional, Toronto Blizzard, and Maia. He made his final appearance for the national side in July 1999 against Saudi Arabia.

4. Alphonso Davies

If you are a Canadian football fan, you still wish that Alphonso had found the back of the net against Belgium in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Canada could have got their first points, if not their first win, after making it to the world’s biggest footballing tournament after a long wait of 36 years.

Despite that penalty miss against Thibaut Courtois, the captain of the Canada national team is unarguably the best player from Canada to feature in Europe currently after making over 135 appearances for the Mia-San-Mia loyalists. He was also named the Bundesliga Rookie of the Season in 2019-20 for his impressive brand of football.

3. Patrice Bernier

Patrice started playing hockey at the tender age of six. He soon rose through the ranks and played two seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, where he made over 143 appearances and scored 17 goals and 73 points. He wanted to become a professional hockey player, but destiny had different plans for Bernier.

After plying his trade in the world of hockey, Bernier started playing soccer for Syracuse University, where he grabbed a lot of attention. The Canadian international has featured in over 225 matches for Montreal Impact, 76 for FC Nordsjælland, and 56 for the Canada national team.

2. Randy Samuel

The veteran Canadian defender, born in Trinidad and Tobago, amassed a total of 82 appearances for the Canada national team. After starting his professional footballing journey with Vancouver Whitecaps, he joined the Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven. He went on to play over 100 matches for Fortuna Sittard, where the 6-foot-1-inch defender also managed to find the back of the net on 5 occasions.

After hanging up his boots, the Canadian international continued to leave an impact in the domain of football as he currently runs his own soccer business in British Columbia after coaching Lobbans FC in the Vancouver Metro Soccer League.

1. Craig Forrest

In 2012, veteran Canadian custodian Craig was inducted into the all-time Canada XI men’s team after making a record 263 appearances for Ipswich Town before moving on loan to Stamford Bridge and Colchester United and later guarding the sticks at West Ham United.

Craig is unarguably one of the all-time best goalkeepers Canada has ever seen, playing a total of 56 matches for the national team. He was named Canada Soccer Player of the Year in 1994 and 2000 before also being honored as the Most Valuable Player at the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2000, a tournament where his heroics guided the Reds to victory.

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