Villarreal are quietly building a Canadian colony in LaLiga. Nathan Saliba is reportedly on his way to the Yellow Submarine, per Fabrizio Romano, joining Tajon Buchanan and Tani Oluwaseyi to give the Spanish club three Canadians who shared a World Cup pitch just weeks ago.
The 22-year-old midfielder arrives from Anderlecht, where he made 50 appearances and scored five goals since joining in June 2025. Not a prolific output, but he's young, he's already made the European jump, and Villarreal clearly see something they like — or they wouldn't be going back to the same well a third time.
A World Cup pedigree that's hard to ignore
Saliba was part of Canada's memorable summer. He scored during their 6-0 demolition of Qatar in Vancouver — a statement win in front of a home crowd — and has three international goals across 18 caps for the national team. That's not a peripheral squad player; that's someone who contributes at the highest level Canada has experienced in a generation.
He also spent three seasons with CF Montreal before heading to Europe, so he's not a player who skipped steps. The MLS-to-Belgium-to-LaLiga path is becoming a recognizable pipeline, and Saliba has ticked every box so far.
What this means for Villarreal's season
Villarreal are sitting on two draws to open the LaLiga campaign — against Atletico Madrid and Racing Santander — which is neither a disaster nor a platform. A midfield addition who knows his teammates from international duty has real value in terms of chemistry and transition time. That's not nothing when a squad is still finding its shape early in the season.
Whether Saliba walks straight into the starting XI or needs time to settle, Villarreal's Canadian bloc now has enough critical mass to influence team dynamics in a meaningful way. Three players from the same nation, the same squad, the same summer tournament — that kind of cohesion is usually an asset, not an accident.
Saliba becomes the latest proof that Canada's World Cup generation is finding European homes fast. Villarreal just cornered the market on them.
