Nathan Saliba
Saliba with Anderlecht in 2025
Personal information
Full name Nathan-Dylan Saliba
Date of birth (2004-02-07) February 7, 2004 (age 22)
Place of birth Longueuil, Quebec, Canada
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Position Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Anderlecht
Number 13
Youth career
2013–2017 CS Longueuil
2017–2020 Montreal Impact
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2025 CF Montréal[a] 68 (2)
2022 → CF Montréal U23 (loan) 7 (4)
2025– Anderlecht 34 (3)
International career‡
2019 Canada U15 4 (0)
2024– Canada 16 (3)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of May 24, 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of June 18, 2026

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

Early life

Saliba began playing youth soccer at age nine with CS Longueuil.[2] In 2017, he joined the Montreal Impact Academy.[3] He is of Haitian and Lebanese descent through both his parents, and can speak English, French and Haitian Creole.[2]

Club career

CF Montréal

In December 2020, he signed his first professional contract with the Montreal Impact (later re-named CF Montreal) of Major League Soccer.[4][5] 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.[6] In December 2022, he signed a two-year extension with Montreal.[3][7]

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[8] and he scored a goal against the PLSQ All-Stars in a pre-season exhibition match.[9] He made his professional debut on February 25, 2023, starting the season opener against Inter Miami CF.[10][11]

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.[12][13]

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.[14][15]

International career

Youth

In 2016, he represented Canada at the Danone Nations Cup.[16][3] 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.[2]

In 2022, he was named to the provisional roster for the Canada U20 team ahead of the 2022 CONCACAF U-20 Championship,[17] 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.[18]

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.[19] Saliba made his debut in the first friendly against the USA on September 7, as a late substitute in a 2-1 victory.[20] He was named the 2024 Canada Soccer Young Player of the Year.[21]

In June 2025 Saliba was named to the squad for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.[22] 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.[23]

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.[24] 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.[25][26][27]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played May 24, 2026[28]
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 U23 (loan) 2022[29] PLSQ 7 4 — — — — 7 4
CF Montréal 2023 MLS 28 0 — 3 0 — 2 0 33 0
2024 24 1 1 0 0 0 — 2 0 27 1
2025 16 1 0 0 2 0 — 0 0 18 1
Total 68 2 1 0 5 0 — 4 0 78 2
Anderlecht 2025–26 Belgian Pro League 34 3 — 6 1 5[b] 1 0 0 45 5
Career total 109 9 1 0 11 1 5 1 4 0 130 11
  1. ^ Montreal Impact changed its name to CF Montréal in 2021
  2. ^ Two appearances in UEFA Europa League, three appearances and one goal in UEFA Conference League

International

As of match played June 18, 2026
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Canada 2024 2 0
2025 9 2
2026 5 1
Total 16 3

Scores and results list Canada's goal tally first.

List of international goals scored by Nathan Saliba
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 June 17, 2025 BC Place, Vancouver, Canada 4  Honduras 6–0 6–0 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup
2 June 21, 2025 Shell Energy Stadium, Houston, United States 5  Curaçao 1–0 1–1
3 June 18, 2026 BC Place, Vancouver, Canada 16  Qatar 4–0 6–0 2026 FIFA World Cup

Honours

Individual

  • Canada Soccer Youth Player of the Year: 2024

Notes

References

  1. ^ "FIFA World Cup 2026: Squad List" (PDF). FIFA. June 2, 2026. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  2. ^ a b c Nathan Saliba at Canada Soccer. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
  3. ^ a b c "Nathan Saliba signs new contract with CF Montréal". CF Montréal. December 2, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
  4. ^ Press, The Canadian (December 4, 2020). "Montreal Impact promote four young midfielders from academy to first team". Toronto Star. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
  5. ^ Canadienne, La Presse (December 4, 2020). "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). Retrieved May 4, 2026.
  6. ^ "CF Montreal sign homegrown M Nathan Saliba to 2-year deal". Field Level Media. December 2, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
  7. ^ "Un nouveau contrat pour Nathan Saliba" [A new contract for Nathan Saliba]. Le Journal de Québec (in French). December 2, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
  8. ^ 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). Retrieved May 4, 2026.
  9. ^ 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). Retrieved May 4, 2026.
  10. ^ Landry, Nicolas (February 4, 2023). "kooralive". Retrieved May 4, 2026.
  11. ^ 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). Retrieved May 4, 2026.
  12. ^ Nightingale, Tom (October 9, 2024). "CanMNT and CF Montréal midfielder Nathan Saliba lone Canadian on MLS 22 Under 22 list". Canadian Soccer Daily. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
  13. ^ 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. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
  14. ^ "Midfielder Nathan Saliba joins RSCA". RSC Anderlecht. June 26, 2025.
  15. ^ "Nathan Saliba transferred to R.S.C. Anderlecht". CF Montréal. June 26, 2025.
  16. ^ Lidbetter, Mark (June 29, 2016). "Ontario bests Quebec in Danone Nations Cup Canadian Championship". The Suburban. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
  17. ^ Davidson, Neil (May 18, 2022). "Some familiar names on Canada's provisional roster for CONCACAF U-20 Championship". Toronto Star. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
  18. ^ "Concacaf Nations League Play-In preliminary rosters announced". Concacaf.com. February 26, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  19. ^ 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. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
  20. ^ Nightingale, Tom (September 7, 2024). "Canada blow USMNT out the water as Shaffelburg, David give CanMNT emphatic 2-1 win". Canadian Soccer Daily. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
  21. ^ "Olivia Smith and Nathan Saliba named Canada Soccer's 2024 Young Players of the Year". Canadian Soccer Association. December 18, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
  22. ^ "CANMNT squad announced for 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup". June 5, 2025. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
  23. ^ "Tani time! Oluwaseyi leads Canada past Honduras in Gold Cup opener". June 18, 2025. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
  24. ^ "Davies spearheads Canada squad". May 28, 2026. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  25. ^ "David hits hat-trick as Canada cruise past Qatar". FIFA.com. June 18, 2026. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
  26. ^ Jones, Chris. "Jonathan David hat trick leads Canada over Qatar for historic 1st win in men's World Cup history". CBC. CBC. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
  27. ^ "David hat-trick sees Canada thrash Qatar for first World Cup win". www.espn.co.uk. June 18, 2026. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
  28. ^ Nathan Saliba at Soccerway
  29. ^ "PTS-Ligue Archive" (in French). TSI Sports. Archived from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2020.