Nathan Saliba

Nathan Saliba
Personal information
Full name Nathan-Dylan Saliba
Date of birth (2004-02-07) February 7, 2004 (age 20)
Place of birth Longueuil, Québec, Canada
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 CF Montréal
Number 19
Youth career
2013–2017 CS Longueuil
2017–2020 Montreal Impact
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020– CF Montréal[a] 52 (1)
2022 → CF Montréal U23 (loan) 7 (4)
International career‡
2019 Canada U15 4 (0)
2024– Canada 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 5, 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of October 15, 2024

Nathan-Dylan Saliba (born February 7, 2004) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays for Major League Soccer club CF Montréal and the Canada national team.

Early life

Saliba began playing youth soccer at age nine with CS Longueuil.[1] In 2017, he joined the Montreal Impact Academy.[2] He is of Haitian descent through both his parents, and can speak English, French and Haitian Creole.[1]

Club career

In December 2020, he signed his first professional contract with the Montreal Impact (later re-named CF Montreal) of Major League Soccer.[3][4] 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.[5] In December 2022, he signed a two-year extension with Montreal.[2][6] 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[7] and he scored a goal against the PLSQ All-Stars in a pre-season exhibition match.[8] He made his professional debut on February 25, 2023, starting the season opener against Inter Miami CF.[9] 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.[10][11]

International career

Youth

In 2016, he represented Canada at the Danone Nations Cup.[12][2] In 2019, he made his debut in the Canadian youth program at a camp with the Canada U15 team, after which he was named to the roster for the 2019 CONCACAF Boys' Under-15 Championship.[1]

In 2022, he was named to the provisional roster for the Canada U20 team ahead of the 2022 CONCACAF U-20 Championship,[13] 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.[14] 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.[15] Saliba made his debut in the first friendly against the USA on September 7, as a late substitute in a 2-1 victory.[16] He was named the 2024 Canada Soccer Young Player of the Year.[17]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played October 22, 2024[18]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Playoffs National cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
CF Montréal 2020 Major League Soccer 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 — 0 0
2021 0 0 — 0 0 — 0 0 0 0
2022 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
2023 28 0 — 3 0 — 2 0 33 0
2024 24 1 1 0 0 0 — 2 0 27 1
Total 52 1 1 0 3 0 0 0 4 0 60 1
CF Montréal U23 (loan) 2022[19] PLSQ 7 4 — — — — 7 4
Career total 59 5 1 0 3 0 0 0 4 0 67 5

International

As of match played October 15, 2024
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Canada 2024 2 0
Total 2 0

Notes

  1. ^ Montreal Impact changed its name to CF Montréal in 2021

References

  1. ^ a b c Nathan Saliba at the Canadian Soccer Association
  2. ^ a b c "Nathan Saliba signs new contract with CF Montréal". CF Montréal. December 2, 2022.
  3. ^ "Montreal Impact promote four young midfielders from academy to first team". Toronto Star. December 4, 2020.
  4. ^ "Jean-Aniel Assi, Sean Rea, Nathan-Dylan Saliba et Rida Zouhir signent avec l'Impact" [Jean-Aniel Assi, Sean Rea, Nathan-Dylan Saliba and Rida Zouhir sign with the Impact]. RDS (in French). December 4, 2020.
  5. ^ "CF Montreal sign homegrown M Nathan Saliba to 2-year deal". Field Level Media. December 2, 2022.
  6. ^ "Un nouveau contrat pour Nathan Saliba" [A new contract for Nathan Saliba]. Le Journal de Québec (in French). December 2, 2022.
  7. ^ Vézina, Justin (January 25, 2023). "Le CF Montréal et ses éléphants dans la pièce: Saliba veut tenter sa chance" [CF Montreal and its elephants in the room: Salba wants to try his luck]. La Presse (in French).
  8. ^ Landry, Nicolas (February 25, 2023). "Nathan Saliba pique la curiosité au camp du CF Montréal" [Nathan Saliba arouses curiosity at CF Montreal camp]. RDS (in French).
  9. ^ Vézina, Justin (February 25, 2023). "Le CF Montréal entame sa saison avec un revers" [CF Montreal begins its season with a setback]. La Presse (in French).
  10. ^ Nightingale, Tom (October 9, 2024). "CanMNT and CF Montréal midfielder Nathan Saliba lone Canadian on MLS 22 Under 22 list". Canadian Soccer Daily.
  11. ^ Nightingale, Tom (October 30, 2024). "Nathan Saliba dreams of European move after hitting new heights for CF Montréal and Canada in 2024". Canadian Soccer Daily.
  12. ^ Lidbetter, Mark (June 29, 2016). "Ontario bests Quebec in Danone Nations Cup Canadian Championship". The Suburban.
  13. ^ Davidson, Neil (May 18, 2022). "Some familiar names on Canada's provisional roster for CONCACAF U-20 Championship". Toronto Star.
  14. ^ "Concacaf Nations League Play-In preliminary rosters announced". Concacaf.com. February 26, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  15. ^ Nightingale, Tom (September 1, 2024). "CF Montréal midfield talent Nathan Saliba called up for CanMNT duty by Canada head coach Jesse Marsch". Canadian Soccer Daily.
  16. ^ Nightingale, Tom (September 7, 2024). "Canada blow USMNT out the water as Shaffelburg, David give CanMNT emphatic 2-1 win". Canadian Soccer Daily.
  17. ^ "Olivia Smith and Nathan Saliba named Canada Soccer's 2024 Young Players of the Year". Canadian Soccer Association. December 18, 2024.
  18. ^ Nathan Saliba at Soccerway
  19. ^ "PTS-Ligue Archive" (in French). TSI Sports. Retrieved August 12, 2020.