May 7, 2021
Canadians playing key roles on leaders in Europe’s biggest soccer leagues
Canadians have been making their mark across Europe’s biggest soccer leagues all season. As the 2020-21 campaigns wind down, it’s time to hand out the trophies in most countries and Canadian players are playing key roles on teams that are either leading their leagues or have already clinched the hardware.
Canadians have been making their mark across Europe’s biggest soccer leagues all season. As the 2020-21 campaigns wind down, it’s time to hand out the trophies in most countries and Canadian players are playing key roles on teams that are either leading their leagues or have already clinched the hardware.
ALPHONSO DAVIES – BAYERN MUNICH – BUNDESLIGA
Bayern Munich are no strangers to the Bundesliga trophy and neither is Alphonso Davies, who stars at left back for the German side.
The leaders are seven points ahead of RB Leipzig and need either a win in their next game against Borussia Mönchengladbach or for their pursuers to fall to Borussia Dortmund and they will clinch their ninth consecutive title.
Davies is already a two-time Bundesliga champion, including as a starter and key contributor to the 2019-20 title-winning team.
This season, the 20-year-old has appeared in 20 Bundesliga games for Bayern and scored a goal and added two assists.
JONATHAN DAVID – LILLE - LIGUE 1
Lille are trying to unseat Paris Saint German as champions of Ligue 1 in France and Jonathan David is front and centre in their efforts to win the trophy.
Currently, Lille lead PSG by one point at the top of the table with three games remaining as they attempt to hold off the three-time defending champions.
Lille has not claimed the French crown since 2010-11.
In his first season with the team, David has contributed 11 goals, including the only marker in a 1-0 victory over PSG where he was eventually forced out of the game with an ankle injury he suffered prior to scoring the goal.
"After the foul (that caused the injury), very next play we ended up having a counterattack, even though I’m in pain I know I have go,” the 21-year-old David told TSN. “I have to be in the right place, my teammate gives it to me and luckily it went in.”
Lille will finish the season with games against Lens, Saint-Etienne and Angers as they try to complete the championship run.
CYLE LARIN – BESIKTAS – SUPER LIG
ATIBA HUTCHINSON – BESIKTAS – SUPER LIG
Besiktas currently lead the Turkish Super Lig by five points with three games remaining and two Canadians have been key to their success this season.
Forward Cyle Larin, 26, is coming off an impressive four-goal performance in his last outing and has found the net 19 times in 35 games for Besiktas, who are trying to win the league for the first time since 2016-17.
Midfielder Atiba Hutchinson, who has been a member of Besiktas since the 2013-14 season, has appeared in 34 games this season and scored four goals with eight assists.
The 38-year-old six-time Canadian player of the year is an anchor in the middle of the field for the Turkish side in his defensive midfield position.
JESSIE FLEMING – CHELSEA – FA WOMEN’S SUPER LEAGUE
Holding a two-point lead over Manchester City (feat. Canadian Janine Beckie) with one game to play, Chelsea are on the verge of winning the FA Women’s Super League for the second consecutive season.
Fleming has made 13 appearances for Chelsea in the Super League, including three starts, since joining the team for the 2020-21 season.
Chelsea only has a game against Reading between themselves and claiming the trophy.
The Blues will also have a shot at the Champions League as they have advanced to the final against Barcelona.
The 23-year-old played all 90 minutes as Chelsea retained the FA Women's League Cup in March.
SCOTT ARFIELD – RANGERS - SCOTTISH PREMIERSHIP
Rangers have already clinched the title in the Scottish League after comfortably outpacing their Old Firm rivals Celtic.
The triumph by Rangers, which came with six games left to play in the season, ended Celtic’s run of nine consecutive titles.
It also gave Rangers their world record 55th domestic league title.
Scott Arfield has four goals and five assists in 27 games for Rangers, who have yet to suffer defeat in the league.
Rangers have games against Livingston and Aberdeen left to complete the unbeaten season, though the 32-year-old Arfield is expected to miss those contests with an ankle injury.
ASHLEY LAWRENCE – PARIS SAINT GERMAIN - DIVISION 1 FEMININE
JORDYN HUITEMA – PARIS SAINT GERMAIN - DIVISION 1 FEMININE
For Paris Saint Germain, capturing the Division 1 Feminine title would cap off a year where they were finally able to push back against their rivals from Lyon (feat. Canadian Kadeisha Buchanan).
Currently PSG leads 14-time defending champion Lyon by a single point at the top of the standings with four games remaining on the schedule.
One of those games will be a massive contest between the teams on May 29.
PSG has already earned two impressive victories over their rivals this season.
The first was in November when they snapped the champions’ 80-game unbeaten streak to hand them their first league loss since 2016.
The second was when they dumped Lyon out of the Women’s Champions League, a competition they had won five consecutive years.
Jordyn Huitema, who turns 20 on Saturday, has appeared in 12 league games this season for PSG and has two goals and an assist.
Ashley Lawrence, 25, has played in 17 games, including 15 starts and has contributed a goal and five assists.