Spanish club Villarreal introduces Canadian midfielder Nathan Saliba
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
We need your support!
Local journalism needs your support!
As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.
Now, more than ever, we need your support.
Starting at $15.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.
Subscribe Nowor call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.
Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Brandon Sun access to your Free Press subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on brandonsun.com
- Read the Brandon Sun E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
*Your next Free Press subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $20.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
VILLARREAL – Canadian midfielder Nathan Saliba says joining La Liga club Villarreal puts him closer to his dream of playing in the Champions League.
Villarreal officially introduced Saliba at a press conference Wednesday after signing him to a contract through 2031.
The midfielder from Longueuil, Que., will line up alongside fellow Canadians Tajon Buchanan and Tani Oluwaseyi at the club, which plays in the top tier of Spanish soccer.
“It means a lot,” Saliba said of playing in a top European league. “It shows me that the path I took starting my career to just believe in working hard and every day being dedicated to my development.”
“And I think to play Champions League is a dream of every player,” he added. “So I’m really looking forward to it. I’m excited and I think it’s a really, really good step for me in my career.”
Saliba said he got good reviews on his new club and city from his fellow Canadians.
“Yeah, they told me a lot,” he said. “They told me about the team and the city and everything, the club, the expectations.
“They told me that it’s a very good group of players that I’ll get to know and that this is a team that really likes to play football. So, just many many good things. So, I’m really, really looking forward to discovering more.”
Villarreal finished third in La Liga last season and qualified for the league phase of the 2026-27 Champions League, which gets underway next month.
The club started the 2026-27 La Liga season with two draws and will next face Deportivo Alavés on Friday.
The 22-year-old Saliba joins Villarreal from Belgian club Anderlecht, where he made two appearances this season. He had three goals in 34 Belgian Pro League games with Anderlecht last season.
Before heading to Europe, Saliba made 78 total appearances from 2023-25 with Major League Soccer’s CF Montréal, scoring twice.
Saliba represented Canada at this year’s World Cup and scored on a free kick as a substitute in his country’s 6-0 win over Qatar in Vancouver on June 18.
In one of Canada’s memorable moments at the tournament, Saliba acknowledged the goal by holding up the jersey of teammate Ismaël Koné, who minutes earlier sustained a serious leg injury on a reckless tackle from Qatar’s Assim Madibo and had to be removed from the field on a stretcher.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 26, 2026.