Rogers Media
Former Canadian foreigner Terry Dunfield knew from the first time he saw Tajon Buchanan up close and private that he was destined for greatness.
Dunfield, who won 14 caps for Canada from 2010 to 2015, was an assistant coach for Canada’s U-23 team that competed in the 2020 Concacaf Olympic Qualifying Tournament. The 20-man Canadian team included Buchanan, an up-and-coming winger/shooting guard who is betting on MLS. at the time and considered one of the most promising young clients in the entire Concacaf region.
Dunfield had never seen Buchanan play in person, only on television. But it didn’t take long for the former midfielder to be impressed watching Buchanan in politeness with his Canadian teammates.
“From the first time I saw him train, I was like, ‘Shit, this guy is smart!’When you see him up close, you realize how smart he is,” Dunfield told Sportsnet.
The rest of the football world knows this too. Inter Milan announced on Friday that it has secured Buchanan’s rights following a €10 million transfer deal with Belgian top-flight club Brugge. , a 24-year-old from Brampton, Ontario, will soon make history as the first member of Canada’s men’s team to play in Serie A, traditionally one of the most productive leagues in the world.
Truly defining moments in Canadian football have been rare over the past two decades. This is one of them. For a prominent member of the Canadian men’s team, playing for one of the most prominent clubs in the world would have been 10 years ago. Gradually, this has become the norm as Buchanan follows in the footsteps of Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich), Jonathan David (Lille), Stephen Eustáquio (Porto), Cyle Larin (Mallorca) and Alistair Johnston (Celtic).
Europe’s most sensible clubs have learned a valuable lesson: they can no longer snobbishly dismiss Canadian players whom they have derisively dismissed as coming from a “hockey country. “Europe’s more sensible groups are now realizing that Canada is no longer an insignificant outpost. and that his abundant reserve of skill is enormous, full of quality and in a condition to be exploited.
Inter Milan has a habit of spending a lot of money on foreign players, which is more than appropriate considering their full name: Football Club Internazionale Milano. Although it was long owned by the famous Moratti family, the team’s success has been foreign and has extended beyond. In 1997, the Nerazzurri paid a world-record $27 million payment to FC Barcelona for Brazilian striker Ronaldo. So when they see someone they like, they lash out at them and, more often than not, they succeed. .
It’s understandable why Inter Milan were keen to sign Buchanan, who first appeared on their radar while playing for Canada at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 when he scored Davies’ goal in a 4-1 loss to Croatia. At Club Brugge, Buchanan has scored five goals and provided 12 assists in 67 appearances in all competitions, including the UEFA Champions League. Opposing defenders in the Belgian league struggled to deal with their speed and runs, as did Canada’s pitted teams in Concacaf competitions.
“He’s ridiculously quick — like, Alphonso Davies quick. He’s a little bit unpredictable, as well,” Dunfield offered.
Dunfield also compares Buchanan to Chelsea star and English foreigner Raheem Sterling in that he “hits a ball that you think he has no right to access because he’s so fast. “
But Buchanan is much more than just a speed trader. His intelligence on the field and problem-solving skills also caught Dunfield’s attention, whether with the U-23 team or when he made his senior debut in 2021, playing a central role in helping Canada triumph in the semifinals of the Concacaf Gold Cup that summer.
“It’s amazing how quickly he adapts to whatever situation is in front of him — he can figure stuff out very quickly. Very rarely do you see him repeating the same mistake and I think you saw that in the [2021] Gold Cup where he was double-teamed and he was finding teammates with the ball,” Dunfield said.
Although known for his dynamic attacking play and flashy runs down either flank, Buchanan put in the time and work on the training ground in order to become a stronger two-way player before he went to Belgium.
“You can see in the defensive side of his game, how temporarily he realized that. . . He’s very open to feedback and I think some of his game has evolved in the Olympic [qualifier] tournament,” Dunfield said.
Canada didn’t end up going to the Tokyo Olympics, but Buchanan distinguished himself at the Concacaf qualifiers and in 2021 he was sold by the New England Revolution of MLS to Club Brugge as part of a $7 million US transfer deal. He’s also become an invaluable member of the Canadian senior team, having earned 35 caps and scored four goals.
The fact that Buchanan is now in a position to sign for one of Europe’s most glamorous clubs – Inter have 19 Serie A titles and 3 UEFA Champions League crowns – is a testament to his drive and perseverance.
His immediate rise through the ranks is the story of a player who came up front for semi-professional Sigma FC, founded in Mississauga, Ontario, in Ontario’s Ligue 1 and played NCAA football for Syracuse University before being drafted by New England in 2019.
Dino Rossi, executive chairman of League1 Ontario, remembers Buchanan’s brief stint at Sigma, recalling that it was evident that the young prospect had the prospect of becoming a very special player. The hope is that Buchanan’s meteoric rise from a modest prospect who was only looking to become a foreign star will inspire other young Canadians not to give up on their dreams.
“It’s very exciting to see Canadian players break new and ambitious paths at the professional level. It’s even worse when a Canadian player finds out he’s signed with one of the biggest and most successful clubs in the world. [Buchanan] deserves to be an inspiration to younger generations of players. The path for Canadians to achieve wonderful things in the game is getting more and more wonderful every year. I’m sure many more Canadians will follow in his footsteps in the future,” Rossi told Sportsnet. .