In Canadian men’s soccer, it seems like the “golden generation” is approaching its prime. Alphonso Davies turns 25 this season, Jonathan David has just made his blockbuster move to Juventus, and the glue guys of the roster like Alistair Johnston, Derek Cornelius, and Stephen Eustáquio approaching their late 20s at their top European clubs. These players were all once our “young Canadian soccer stars,” but are now simply just stars.
With this in mind, a rising concern has been that the Canadian Men’s National Team will be aged out of their golden window by the 2030 World Cup – or 2034 at latest. Still, while stars like David and Davies will likely have regressed by 2034, Canada does have a decent enough pool of young prospects that look ready to keep Canada a top 3 CONCACAF nation after the current window passes.
In this article, I’ll look at these young Canadian soccer stars, discussing the most intriguing u23 prospects in Canadian football.
Five Young Canadian Soccer Stars
Editor’s note: I’ve chosen not to include players who turned 23 before July 1, 2025, but Ismaël Koné would have certainly made the list, and Theo Corbeanu would’ve also been considered.
Niko Sigur
Perhaps the most intriguing youngster for Canada right now is Niko Sigur, the Burnaby-born defensive-midfielder for top Croatian side Hajduk Split. While no move happened during this transfer window, Sigur was rumoured to potentially transfer to a larger European side, something that may still happen in January’s window.
Sigur is valued at 4 million Euros according to Transfermarkt, and this number will likely only rise when he makes the move to a higher-profile side in Europe. With some of the CANMNT’s defensive core aging out, Sigur will be a top candidate to take the reins.
Luc De Fougerolles
Compared to some of the more established young talents that Canada has to offer, De Fougerolles may seem like a questionable pick, but I am absolutely in love with this kid as a prospect. At just 19 and now starting with Dender in the Belgian Pro League, I would put money De Fougerolles finding himself on a side competing in the Europa League at the very least before he’s 23.
Most importantly in my evaluation, Premier League club Fulham F.C, who have loaned De Fougerolles out to Dender, clearly still believe they have something in him, keeping him under contract until 2029. In an ideal world where he progresses into being a rotational CB for Fulham over the next few seasons, De Fougerolles instantly becomes one of Canada’s most high profile footballers.
Nathan Saliba
The second player in the Belgian Pro League on this list, Nathan Saliba has some of the highest upside of all young Canadian soccer stars. Having just transferred to legendary club Anderlecht, Saliba now looks to fill the shoes of players like Joshua Zirkzee and Romelu Lukaku, who also spent some of their developmental years with Anderlecht.
Saliba’s game has a certain charm to it as a midfielder, which was evident when he managed to score 2 goals in 3 matches for Canada at this year’s Gold Cup, already cementing himself as a viable offensive option in Canada’s midfield, something that looks increasingly important as Jonathan Osorio ages out of his prime. While he isn’t guaranteed the start at Anderlecht, Saliba has all the ability to carve out a role for himself.
Daniel Jebbison
Of all the Canadian talent currently in the EFL system, Jebbison probably takes the cake both in terms of current value and potential ability. At just 21 years old last season, Jebbison appeared in 16 games with Bournemouth en route to their impressive 9th place campaign in the Premier League.
This year, though, with Jebbison moving to Championship side Preston, having just barely turned 22, he will be able to shine and start in more games than ever before. All in all, Jebbison still has crazy break-through potential. This is a guy who went from being in the 6th division to being the youngest player to ever score in his first Premier League start with Sheffield Utd. at 17. Whatever happens next, he certainly appears to be a viable alternative to Jonathan David in the frontlines.
Jacen Russell-Rowe
I was between Russell-Rowe and Jayden Nelson for my last pick on this list, but I’m going to very narrowly go with Russell-Rowe for the fact that he’s only gotten better over his past few seasons with Columbus Crew, who happen to be one of the very most prestigious clubs in North America.
Russell-Rowe is one of the most valuable of the group of youngsters who seem presently content with staying in the MLS, and he’s carved out a very respectable role for himself with Columbus, where he scored in the 2024 Leagues Cup final. I don’t know how much better Russell-Rowe can get, but he’s already at a point where he can play an important role for Canada’s attack off the bench.
Honourable Mentions
There are many young Canadian soccer stars who just missed this list. As mentioned before, Jayden Nelson is one of our brightest prospects. Deandre Kerr will likely end up a team Canada regular at some point. And if Aleksandr Guboglo picks us over Haiti in international play, I believe he can be a Team Canada mainstay.
