Nathan Saliba

Nathan-Dylan Saliba (born February 7, 2004) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a central midfielder for club Villarreal and the Canada national team.

Early life Born in Longueuil, Quebec, Canada, Saliba is of Haitian descent from his mother's side and of Lebanese descent from his father's side. Both his parents were born in Haiti. He can speak English, French and Haitian Creole. He served as an unused substitute in their CONCACAF Champions League match against C.D. Olimpia on December 15, 2020.

In 2022, he played with CF Montréal U23 in the Première ligue de soccer du Québec, scoring four goals in seven appearances. In December 2022, he signed a two-year extension with Montreal.

During the 2023 pre-season, he sought to earn a spot with the first team squad, rather than to pursue a loan to the Canadian Premier League, as other Montreal young players had gone on in previous seasons and he scored a goal against the PLSQ All-Stars in a pre-season exhibition match. He made his professional debut on February 25, 2023, starting the season opener against Inter Miami CF.

At the end of the 2024 season, he was named to the MLS 22 Under 22 list and was nominated for the MLS Young Player of the Year award.

Anderlecht

In June 2025, Saliba joined Belgian Pro League club Anderlecht on a transfer for an undisclosed fee, signing a contract until 2029, with CF Montréal retaining a sell-on clause. He made his debut for his new club on July 24 in a Europa League qualifier against BK Häcken. Saliba scored his first goal on July 27 in Anderlecht's season opener against Westerlo, netting the fourth goal in a 5-2 victory.

Villarreal On August 25, 2026, Saliba joined Villarreal from Anderlecht for an undisclosed fee, signing a contract for five seasons until 2031. Saliba's arrival marked the first time ever that a club in one of Europe's top five leagues had three Canadian players in its first-team squad, alongside Tajon Buchanan and Tani Oluwaseyi.

International career Youth In 2016, he represented Canada at the Danone Nations Cup. although he was not named to the final roster.

Senior In February 2024, Saliba was named to the Canadian senior provisional roster for the 2024 Copa América qualifying play-offs against Trinidad and Tobago.

In August 2024 he received a call up to Canada for friendlies against the United States and Mexico, as an injury replacement for Samuel Adekugbe. Saliba made his debut in the first friendly against the USA on September 7, as a late substitute in a 2-1 victory. He was named the 2024 Canada Soccer Young Player of the Year.

In June 2025 Saliba was named to the squad for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup. On June 17 in Canada's opening game against Honduras, he would score his first international goal in a 6-0 victory at BC Place.

In May 2026, Saliba was selected for Canada's squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which the country co-hosted with Mexico and the United States. In Canada's second group match in Vancouver on June 18, he came off the bench for the injured Ismaël Koné and later scored his team's fourth goal from a free-kick in a 6–0 victory over Qatar, Canada's first ever World Cup win; after scoring, he ran to the touchline and lifted Koné’s empty number 8 jersey to the crowd in tribute to his teammate. He later also recorded an assist on Jonathan David's final goal of the match. In Canada's final group match on June 24, he assisted Promise David's goal in a 2–1 defeat against Switzerland, which saw them finish as runners-up in Group B; consequently, Canada advanced to the knock-out stages of the World Cup for the first time in its history.

Career statistics Club

International

Scores and results list Canada's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Saliba goal.

Honours Individual Canada Soccer Youth Player of the Year: 2024