Six players are up for the player of the year award for Men’s & Women’s
Toronto, ON- Canada Soccer has announced the finalists for the best Men’s and Women’s Players who performed for their clubs, and when they have been called on their respective National Teams. Wearing the Red and White for their country at home or away. Here are the players up for the award, as the winners will be announced on Friday, December 19th.
Canadian Women’s Player of the Year finalists:
Vanessa Gilles
She played in eight matches and started in six of them for the Women’s National Team. She scored in the 2-0 win over Mexico at the Pinatar Cup, which secured the championship, and she earned her 50th cap. Her club game started in 2025 with Olympique Lyonnais Féminin, playing in 13 matches and logging 1,120 minutes. scoring four goals and an assist.
She helped Lyon win the 2024-25 Première Ligue and reach the UEFA Women’s Champions League semifinals. In May, she transferred to FC Bayern Munich. She played in seven matches and scored three goals in this current 2025-2026 season.
Adriana Leon
She played in eleven matches and started in seven of them for the Women’s National Team. She shared the goal-scoring lead with three and scored two of them against Haiti in a 4-1win over Haiti on May 31st in Winnipeg. She has logged 652 minutes internationally.
She left Aston Villa of England for the San Diego Wave of the NWSL in February 2025. She has played 27 matches and started in 17 of them. Logging 1,432 minutes, scored four goals with three assists. She scored a brace in a 5-2 victory over North Carolina Courage on May 25th.
Jayde Riviere
She played and started in all six of her matches for the Women’s National Team. She earned one assist, earned her 50th cap against Argentina on April 8th. She has logged 490 minutes.
She is with Manchester United Women’s FC, having played 23 matches in the 2024-25 season and is currently in her 2025-26 campaign, logging 1,831 minutes. She scored a goal and four assists, including in a 5-1 win over London City Lionesses in September. That match marked her 50th apperance with the club. She has played the full 90 minutes in all four UEFA Women’s Champions League matches
Canadian Men’s Player of the Year finalists
Ali Ahmed
He played in ten matches, scored a goal, and had three assists. His only goal was against Romania in a 3-0 winaway in Bucharest. He also provided the game-winning assist for Jonathan David’s goal in the third-place match of the CONCACAF Nations League against the USA
For the Vancouver Whitecaps, he had a banner season. With the club, they made three finals, the CONCACAF Champions Cup at Cruz Azul, won the 2025 Canadian Championship, and reached the MLS Cup Final at Inter Miami. He scored in the 2nd leg of the Semi-Finals of the Champions Cup, scored the equalizing goal in the MLS Cup Final, and won the George Gross Memorial Trophy for Most Valuable Player of the Canadian Championship.
Ahmed scored four goals and had 11 assists across multiple club competitions.
Tajon Buchanan
He played in all 14 matches, scoring four goals and having an assist. He earned his 50th cap for Canada in the final group stage match of the CONCACAF Gold Cup in a 2-0 win over El Salvador. He also scored the second goal of that match.
At Villarreal, he played in 35 matches, scoring six goals and having two assists in 2025. He scored a hat trick in a 5-0 win over Girona in the second week of the current La Liga season. He’s also appeared in four of their UEFA Champions League matches
Jonathan David
He played in all 14 matches, scoring six goals and having two assists. He entered the Canada Men’s National Team top ten all-time apperance records. Currently at 73 caps, he is five shy of Mark Watson’s 78. He was named the 2024/25 Concacaf Men’s Player of the Year at the Concacaf Awards in November.
For Lille in French Ligue 1, David scored eight goals and had seven assists before leaving for Juventus of Italy’s Serie A. He was Lille’s third all-time scorer before moving to Juventus. He scored on his debut in his first match against Parma for a 2-0 win, and he has also scored twice in matches of the UEFA Champions League. He scored the late-game winner against Bodø/Glimt in a 3-2 victory in Norway.
Canada Soccer News:
- 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup Draw is Filled and Ready to Go
- Canada Finishes 2025 International Calendar with a Win over Venezuela
- Canada Soccer Announces Roster for November Friendly matches
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