Canadian midfielder Nathan Saliba says joining La Liga club Villarreal puts him closer to his dream of playing in the Champions League.

Villarreal officially introduced Saliba at a press conference Wednesday after signing him to a contract through 2031.

The midfielder from Longueuil, Que., will line up alongside fellow Canadians Tajon Buchanan and Tani Oluwaseyi at the club, which plays in the top tier of Spanish soccer.

In a related development, "It means a lot," Saliba expressed of playing in a top European league. "It shows me that the path I took starting my career to just believe in working hard and every day being dedicated to my development."

"And I think to play Champions League is a dream of every player," he added. "So I'm really looking forward to it. I'm excited and I think it's a really, really good step for me in my career."

Saliba mentioned he got good reviews on his new club and city from his fellow Canadians.

Furthermore, "Yeah, they told me a lot," he stated. "They told me about the team and the city and everything, the club, the expectations.

"They told me that it's a very good group of players that I'll get to know and that this is a team that really likes to play football. So, just a host of many good things. So, I'm really, really looking forward to discovering more."

Villarreal finished third in La Liga last season and qualified for the league phase of the 2026-27 Champions League, which gets underway next month.

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The club started the 2026-27 La Liga season with two draws and will next face Deportivo Alaves on Friday.

The 22-year-old Saliba joins Villarreal from Belgian club Anderlecht, where he made two appearances this season. He had three goals in 34 Belgian Pro League games with Anderlecht last season.

It is worth noting that before heading to Europe, Saliba made 78 total appearances from 2023-25 with Primary League Soccer's CF Montreal, scoring twice.

Saliba represented Canada at this year's World Cup and scored on a free kick as a substitute in his territory's 6-0 win over Qatar in Vancouver on June 18.

In one of Canada's memorable moments at the tournament, Saliba acknowledged the goal by holding up the jersey of teammate Ismael Kone, who minutes earlier sustained a serious leg injury on a reckless tackle from Qatar's Assim Madibo and had to be removed from the field on a stretcher.

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