Nathan Saliba

Canadian soccer player

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]	32	(0)
2022	→ CF Montréal U23 (loan)	7	(4)
International career^‡
2019	Canada U15	4	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of April 20, 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of June 27, 2021

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

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]

International career

In 2016, he represented Canada at the Danone Nations Cup.^[10]^[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,^[11] although he was not named to the final roster.

On February 26, 2024, Saliba was named to the Canada national soccer team provisional roster for the 2024 Copa América qualifying play-offs against Trinidad and Tobago.^[12]

Notes

^ Montreal Impact changed its name to CF Montréal in 2021

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Nathan Saliba at the Canadian Soccer Association
^ ^a ^b ^c "Nathan Saliba signs new contract with CF Montréal". CF Montréal. December 2, 2022.
^ "Montreal Impact promote four young midfielders from academy to first team". Toronto Star. 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). December 4, 2020.
^ "CF Montreal sign homegrown M Nathan Saliba to 2-year deal". Field Level Media. December 2, 2022.
^ "Un nouveau contrat pour Nathan Saliba" [A new contract for Nathan Saliba]. Le Journal de Québec (in French). December 2, 2022.
^ 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).
^ 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).
^ 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).
^ Lidbetter, Mark (June 29, 2016). "Ontario bests Quebec in Danone Nations Cup Canadian Championship". The Suburban.
^ Davidson, Neil (May 18, 2022). "Some familiar names on Canada's provisional roster for CONCACAF U-20 Championship". Toronto Star.
^ "Concacaf Nations League Play-In preliminary rosters announced". Concacaf.com. February 26, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2024.