CanMNT's Nathan Saliba joins Belgian giants Anderlecht

One of the Canadian men's national team's standout players at the 2025 Gold Cup has secured his club future, with an announcement on Thursday that 21-year-old midfielder Nathan Saliba has joined Belgian club R.S.C Anderlecht. 

CF Montréal, with whom Saliba signed his first professional contract in 2020, will retain a portion of future transfers. The initial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. 

Saliba made 78 appearances in all competitions for CF Montréal in the past three seasons, scoring a pair of goals. He was Canada Soccer's 2024 Young Player of the Year. 

The Longueuil, Québec-born midfielder has two goals for Canada at the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup and now has five caps with the senior men's national team. 

The Belgian league has been a great landing spot for CanMNT players over the years, with Promise David, Jonathan David, Cyle Larin and Tajon Buchanan all playing in the league in recent years. Former Canadian men's national team star Tomasz Radzinski, was a lethal striker for Anderlecht in the early 2000s, winning two Belgian titles and a golden boot with the club. 

Anderlecht finished fourth in Belgium last season, but will participate in Europa League qualifiers, starting in late July. Saliba is expected to join the Belgian club following his time with Canada at the Gold Cup.