Tajon Buchanan lives to play with the ball at his feet

Something inside Tajon Buchanan stirs when he talks about his passion for soccer.

Typically straight-faced and taciturn, the 27-year-old winger can come across as distant upon first impression. But when he speaks about soccer – playing it, watching it, dissecting it, and living every moment of his professional career – an irrepressible youthfulness and joy shine through.

As Buchanan sat at the end of his kitchen table inside his home on the outskirts of Valencia, Spain, this past February, the sun shined through big glass doors. The rays filled the room as he talked about how he feels when he steps onto a field.

“I’m able to express myself,” he said and his face brightened.

Buchanan’s face lit up even more when he spoke about his signature goal celebration: a round-off handstand into a backflip.

“The backflip? I started when I was a kid,” Buchanan said.

As a child growing up in Brampton,Ont., Buchanan used to fearlessly improvise all kinds of acrobatic moves with his siblings. As his career blossomed in the Greater Toronto Area, then evolved at Syracuse University, on to Major League Soccer and eventually into Europe, his goal celebration became the one unmistakable way Buchanan could show a feeling he often chooses not to convey in words.

“[The backflip is] me showing my love and my joy,” Buchanan said.

As Buchanan’s career skyrocketed over the last five years – from NCAA standout to MLS SuperDraft first-round pick, to MLS All-Star, to Belgium and Italian league winner and World Cup participant – nearly every major moment has been punctuated by his backflip.

“You see that flip in big moments. He’s basically saying, ‘I’m head over heels for the game,’” said former youth coach and long-time friend Chrys Chrysanthou.

What does the world look like when Buchanan is twirling and spinning through the air?

“A blur,” he said, with a chuckle.

Those close to Buchanan, including Chrysanthou, say he lives his life in a constant forward momentum from one match to the next, playing the game and always pining for it whenever he’s off the field. Rarely does Buchanan reflect on all he’s achieved and how it’s affected the wider Canadian soccer landscape.

He doesn’t like to live in retrospect; he lives to play with the ball at his feet.

But in July 2024, during Canada’s run in Copa America, Buchanan broke his right leg – his dominant leg that has afflicted so many defenders whenever he streaks down the right wing. It’s the same right leg that won Canada a penalty against Belgium in the nation’s first World Cup game in 36 years and also delivered a picture-perfect cross onto the crown of Alphonso Davies’ head and into the net and history books as Canada’s first goal at a men’s World Cup.

“He really didn’t think about the impact of what he was building,” Chrysanthou said. “And then all of the momentum and all of the hard work – love for the game – everything just stopped.”

As Buchanan spoke about the injury, the demanding rehabilitation that followed and how it impacted his professional career, the smile disappeared.

“I’ve never told anyone this before, but I truly felt like my career was finished,” he said.

***

Buchanan loves playing soccer for the joy of the game, but he admits playing for Canada at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was “a whole different feeling.”

He rarely watches back his setup and Davies’ finish against Croatia. He doesn’t have to because he lived the moment.

“I remember driving down the wing. I told myself just deliver a good ball into the box. And it was one of those crosses that when it leaves your foot you just know it was a goal,” Buchanan said.

When he’s shown clips of the cross-Canada reaction to Davies’ goal, even in his characteristic understated way, Buchanan is taken aback: “It’s like the whole country came together that day.”

“I don’t know that I’ve been around a more exciting moment in soccer in my entire life,” Chrysanthou said.

Buchanan was widely regarded as Canada’s most exciting player during the country’s brief time in Qatar, and the excitement would continue when one of the giants of European football came calling.

After Qatar, Inter Milan, one of the most successful teams in Italian soccer, began a year-long courtship that culminated in Buchanan signing with the European giants in January 2024. Even if he doesn’t readily accept plaudits for all his achievements, Buchanan realized the significance of becoming the first Canadian to play in Italy’s Serie A.

“I made it,” he said.

His family was overjoyed, too.

“I looked at [Tajon] and I said, ‘What you’ve done is not easy,’” said Buchanan’s older brother, Nathaniel. “And I know he wanted to earn his spot in that team, and I think it encouraged him to work harder.”

Buchanan made 10 appearances in his first five months in Italy, earning himself a winner’s medal when Inter claimed the league title. It all set the stage for another potential head-turning performance at another international tournament.

“At Copa América, I was really locked in,” Buchanan said.

It took Buchanan time to adjust to the demands of Jesse Marsch’s high-intensity system. But Buchanan appeared to be settling into the coach’s plans as Canada advanced to the quarter-finals of the world’s oldest continental tournament.

But then Canada travelled to the soccer facilities at Texas Christian University on July 2, 2024 to prepare for the match against Venezuela. Shortly after practice began an ambulance was called to the field. Buchanan collided with a teammate during a drill, fell over, and sustained a broken tibia.

As he lay on the ground, Buchanan didn’t look at his leg. He knew it was broken. The whole moment made Buchanan’s teammates emotional.

“My phone rings and it’s actually Dayne St. Clair calling and you just hear him breathing,” said Mike Senkowski, the agent for Buchanan and St. Clair. “[I said], ‘Dayne, are you okay? Is everything alright?’ And [St Clair was] was trying to get the words out of his mouth: ‘It’s Tajon.’”

Buchanan had surgery the following day. When he finally looked at his leg after surgery, complete uneasiness came to the front of his mind. The suddenness of the injury and the realization he would be away from the field for months made Buchanan feel as if his whole career might be on the precipice. His leg was broken, and so was his spirit.

But in the immediate aftermath, Buchanan’s wider world came into focus. No longer was he looking straight ahead down the sidelines at the next opponent to attack, instead he began seeing his Canadian teammates come toward him in support.

***

So many teammates visited Buchanan in hospital. And when Buchanan arrived back at Canada’s hotel following his surgery, the entire staff and team waited outside to greet him.

“It was very important to be there for him because obviously an injury of that nature is not easy to come back [from],” said Canadian goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau, who incurred a similar injury in the 2022 MLS Cup final, which ruled him out of the World Cup in Qatar.

“The thing that stuck out to me was how much these guys love each other,” Senkowski said.

After Jacob Shaffelburg scored Canada’s opening goal of its quarter-final win over Venezuela, the winger ran over to Canada’s bench grabbed Buchanan’s jersey and held it high. It became one of the defining moments of Canada’s time at Copa América.

Above the field, sitting in a box inside Dallas’s AT&T Stadium, Buchanan was deeply touched.

“It felt like my second family was just rooting for me,” he said.

Buchanan recognized his rehab journey would be intensive. He told himself he would come back not just the same player, but better. He wanted to show Inter his worth. And in three months, Buchanan worked his way to full health.

But he didn’t play right away as Inter’s substantial depth meant Buchanan wasn’t just fighting to get back to full fitness – he was also battling for his own spot on the team.

From the time he returned to the Inter bench in October 2024 to late January 2025, Buchanan made just six substitute appearances in the league and started once in the Coppa Italia.

Those close to him admit that, in the prime of his life and in the prime of his playing career, Buchanan’s emotions are deeply tied to his playing opportunities.

“When he’s not loving his soccer, he struggles to love life,” Chrysanthou said.

And yet, as he faced the frustration of a lack of playing time, Buchanan opened himself up to the comfort and support of his friends, family, and his girlfriend, Valentina.

“She is someone I can speak to any time of day. Through the ups and downs she’s obviously been there and experienced it,” Buchanan said.

Still, Buchanan didn’t play: “I felt like I wasn’t good enough.”

It quickly became evident to Senkowski that Buchanan needed a new opportunity and a fresh start with a club that would immediately value the freedom and joy Buchanan plays with when given the opportunity.

“I remember asking myself: ‘What do I want?’” Buchanan said. “And it was to play.”

In January 2025, Buchanan would find that freedom in a place with a desire and passion for soccer much like his own.

***

Villarreal Club de Futbol is one of European and world’s football’s great overachievers.

From a town of just over 50,000 residents on Spain’s east coast, the club is nicknamed “The Yellow Submarine” for its famous yellow jerseys and propensity to rise again following disappointments.

The clubs’ ethos also mirrors the city’s own story of resiliency. Years ago, economic and climate hardship forced Villarreal to move away from agriculture and crop production to ceramics. In the heart of the town, Estadio de la Cerámica, is wrapped in hundreds of ceramic tiles – a shrine to the club and city’s fortitude.

“Villarreal brings you back to the foundations when you were in love with football,” said the club’s commercial director, Juan Antón de Salas. “The way we’ve been able to come through all the way until today is by continuous improvement.

“Endavant [a Valencian word] is the war cry. It literally means ‘We have to keep moving forward.”

In international club play, Villarreal are renowned for punching above their weight against the giants of Spanish and European soccer.

After being a persistent and plucky fixture in La Liga for 25 years, Villarreal won the Europa League – the continent’s second-highest honour after the Champions League – in 2021 against European soccer aristocrat Manchester United.

Through it all, Villarreal’s enduring success has been powered by talented international players looking for second chances and new beginnings.

Spanish midfielder Santi Cazorla, Uruguayan striker Diego Forlan, Argentine attacking midfielder Juan Román Riquelme and Italian-American striker Giuseppe Rossi either arrived at Villarreal after disappointments at other club or returned to the team to reinvigorate their careers. All of them are now considered legends of the club.

“We are like a family here,’ de Salas said. “When [the players] see they are supported, when the people are around you, a sense of belonging that’s amazing.”

In February 2025, Buchanan secured a loan move to Villarreal. He made 13 appearances on loan and capped off his initial stint with a winning goal against Barcelona in May.

“For me it was like a new beginning, finding my level again,” Buchanan said. “I felt like there was no better place than to do it here at a club that is known for helping players reach those levels and get back to their best.”

“I asked [Buchanan] ‘How are things?’ His comment was: ‘They just want me to be me,’” Chrysanthou said. “Similar to the Canadian men’s team, [Villarreal] has built a culture where they felt like they can beat anybody,”

That loan kicked off a surging momentum inside Buchanan, again.

“Some people forgot who I am as a player,” Buchanan said. “I’m going to show everybody what they’ve been missing. No better way to do it than playing for your country.”

Last summer, during the Canadian Shield International tournament in Toronto, Buchanan scored against Ukraine and celebrated by doing his signature backflip. And he smiled.

“When we saw the flip coming we all got kind of nervous, we hadn’t seen him do it since the injury,” his older brother Nathaniel said. “Okay, it’s game on now.”

Ten days later, during Canada’s opening match of the 2025 Gold Cup against Honduras , Buchanan scored and celebrated with a backflip, again. And he smiled.

“Tajon’s a weapon. That’s the best way to describe him,” Marsch said.

On July 29, 2025, Tajon made his move to Villarreal permanent. Less than a month later, he scored a hat trick against Girona – a hat trick in La Liga – another first for a Canadian man.

And he celebrated with a backflip, again. And he smiled, once again.

“Making that move changed everything,” Buchanan said. “It’s a great feeling. I’m back.”

“He never gave up on that love. He never gave up on that belief that soccer can bring him joy again,” Chrysanthou said.

Back in his home in Spain, seated at his kitchen table with the sun shining behind him, Buchanan reflected his path over the last two years, and looked ahead to this summer’s home World Cup.

He was asked about what wearing the Canadian jersey means to him, and his excitement ahead of the biggest soccer tournament of his career. And he smiled.

“The support from not only my teammates, but all of Canada,” he said. “I appreciate them so much.”