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By the numbers: A record-breaking year for David, CanMNT players in Europe

It’s been a huge year for Canadian men’s national team players in Europe. Several players won league titles around the continent and played important roles in the process.

The most recent example of this was Lille OSC and Canada attacker Jonathan David. The 21-year-old scored the opener and drew a penalty that lead to a second in a Ligue 1 title-clinching victory over Angers FC Sunday. David’s 13th goal in the 10th minute kicked off a historic day for Lille, which captured its first title since 2011-12.

A pair of Canadians – Cyle Larin and Atiba Hutchinson – won the league in Turkey this past weekend, and there are Canadians in top teams and leagues putting up big performances.

Here are some of the highlights of an unprecedented year, by the numbers.


RELATED READING: 2011 vs. 2021: Comparing CanMNT’s banner European season with a decade ago || CanMNT’s best seasons in Europe: How does Jonathan David’s French title run stack up? || 


13 – goals for Jonathan David

David set a record for most goals scored by a Canadian men’s national team player in a top-five league Sunday with that opener vs. Angers. David, 21, added his 13th goal for Lille in Ligue 1 in the season-closing fixture.

David had previously beaten former record holder Tomasz Radziński, who scored 11 goals with Everton in 2002-03.

7 – The number of league titles Atiba Hutchinson has won in Europe after his latest triumph

One of the most successful Canadians to ever play in Europe, Atiba Hutchinson added to his legacy on the weekend. His Beşiktaş side won the Turkish Süper Lig for the first time since the 2016–17 season on Saturday, beating Göztepe 2–1.

They finished equal on points with Galatasaray, and with just two more than Fenerbahçe, but won based on the first tiebreaker – head-to-head record.

It’s the third Süper Lig title for Hutchinson, who also won the Danish Superliga during his time with FC Copenhagen.

23 – Goals for Cyle Larin in 2020/21

Cyle Larin was also a part of that Turkish title for Beşiktaş… a huge part of it.

Larin finished the season tied for second in league scoring with 19 goals, three back of Aaron Boupendza, who scored 22. Larin had 23 goals and six assists in 44 matches in all competitions. That included a pair of four-goal games, most recently against Hatayspor.

Beşiktaş are still alive in the Turkish Cup, and play Antalyaspor in the final on Tuesday.

4 – Serbian SuperLiga titles in a row for Milan Borjan

Since joining Serbian side Red Star Belgrade ahead of the 2017/18 season, Milan Borjan has won four consecutive league titles with the club.

The long-time Canadian national team goalkeeper was in the Serbian SuperLiga Team of the Season in 2018-19 and won the Red Star Sports Club Male Athlete of the Year in 2018, the first soccer player to win that award in nearly 15 years.


RELATED READING: Lille’s Jonathan David sets record for most goals by CanMNT player in top 5 league


9 – Trophies for Alphonso Davies with Bayern… in just three years

No, that isn’t a typo. Alphonso Davies, still 20 years old, has won nine trophies in three years at Bayern Munich.

The club secured their ninth consecutive Bundesliga title last week, third with Davies – the latest hardware in a dominant few years.

Davies has also lifted a UEFA Champions League trophy, two DFB–Pokals, the UEFA Super Cup, the 2020 FIFA Club World Cup, and a DFL–Supercup. Not too shabby.

U19 – Two Canadian teenagers pick up firsts in the Premier League

Daniel Jebbison was the star of last weekend in the Premier League, as the Oakville, Ontario-born striker made his first Premier League start for Sheffield United. The 17-year-old’s match couldn’t have got off to a better start, as he scored the game’s lone goal in the seventh minute in a 1-0 victory over Everton.

He was called up to the England U18 national team for the first time in March, so it’s to-be-determined if he’ll ever play for Canada, but he’s surely on John Herdman’s radar after the impressive display.

Theo Corbeanu also made his long-awaited Premier League debut last weekend too, coming off the bench in the 82nd minute of a 2-0 defeat to Tottenham. Corbeanu made his senior Canadian national team debut in March, scoring just four minutes into his debut off the bench against Bermuda.

2 – Scott Arfield’s second title… in the second country he’s won in

Scott Arfield’s Rangers side won their first league title in a decade this season, finishing comfortably atop the Scottish Premiership and ending Celtic’s dominance in the league.

They won the title with six games remaining and finished the season unbeaten. Their 102 points (32 wins, 6 draws, 0 losses) saw them finish 25 points over their cross-town rivals. Arfield scored seven goals and added six assists in 45 matches in all competitions.

It’s the second time Arfield has won a league competition, as he was also a part of Burnley’s 2015–16 Championship-winning side in England.

2 – David Wotherspoon helps St. Johnstone win Scottish Cup, Scottish League Cup

Also in Scotland, David Wotherspoon stared in both of St. Johnstone’s historic cup victories this season, including this past weekend with a 1-0 win over Hibernian in the Scottish Cup. Wotherspoon, who has made four appearances for Canada, won man of the match after assisting on the match-winning goal.

Wotherspoon also played all 90 minutes for the club when they won their first Scottish League Cup in February.

In 49 appearances in all competitions this season, he scored six goals and set up seven others.