Canada is not known for particularly excelling in football or soccer, especially on the men’s side. The North American country is best known for sports like Ice Hockey, Skiing, and a few combat sports like boxing, wrestling, etc. The Canucks have played soccer since the late 1800s, and have won a few notable accolades. They have won the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 1985 and 2000.
Despite the lack of popularity in the beautiful round leather game, the land of the maple leaf can still pride itself on producing some noteworthy players.
Here are 5 of Canada’s greatest ever football players.
1. Tomasz Radzinski
The retired Polish-born ex-Canadian international played for the senior national team between 1995-2009. Tomasz played as a winger cum striker for the Canadian national team. He played 46 times for the Canucks scoring 10 goals in the process. In club football, Radzinski had stints in various clubs, but he’s most remembered for his time in England playing for English Premier League sides Everton FC and Fulham FC.
2. Dwayne De Rosario
The 42-year-old former Canadian international is the leading goal scorer of the national team. Dwayne scored 22 goals in 81 appearances for the Canucks between 1998-2015, playing either as a striker or attacking midfielder. De Rosario played for various Major League Soccer teams like Toronto FC, DC United, and New York Red Bulls FC. His parents are originally from Guyana.
3. Alphonso Davies
Alphonso is a Canadian international left-back who currently plays for German club side Bayern Munich FC. The 20-year-old made his debut for the national team on June 2017 in a CONCACAF Gold Cup match against French Guiana. This earned him the accolade as the youngest player ever to play for the Canadian national team. He has so far played 17 times for the Canucks and scored 5 goals. He has also won the League, Cup, and European title with Bayern Munich. His parents are originally from Liberia even though Alphonso was born in a Ghanaian refugee camp.
4. Paul Stalteri
Stalteri is an ex-Canadian international who played a total of 84 times for the national team between 1997-2010. Paul also captained the Canadian national team and scored 7 goals during his 13-year stint with the Canucks. The 43-year-old played for various clubs in England and Germany like Tottenham Hotspur, Fulham, and Werder Bremen. Stalteri is of mixed Italian and Guyanese origin.
5. Craig Forrest
Craig is a former Canadian international goalkeeper. He played a total of 56 times for the Canucks between 1988-2002. He’s most famous for his heroics at the 2000 Gold Cup, saving two penalties as he helped them win the tournament the second in their history. Forrest played his whole career in England playing for various club sides like Ipswich Town, West Ham, and Chelsea.
Honourable Mentions:
- Julian de Guzman
- Dale Mitchell
- Atiba Hutchinson
- John Catliff
- Kevin McKenna.
