CHARLOTTE — Tani Oluwaseyi keeps a gratitude list on his phone. It started in 2022 ahead of the MLS Super Draft, a running reminder of the people who helped a kid from Mississauga get this far. Now the list includes everyone who got him to a World Cup.
"We always say to raise a child you need a community," Oluwaseyi said at Canada's pre-tournament training camp. "I've had a lot of really good people along the way. I think no one can say they got here on their own."
The numbers are doing most of the announcement work here, which is usually how teams prefer it.
The 26-year-old striker spent four years at St. John's University in New York, earning a degree in sports management and business administration while playing semi-professionally. His parents moved the family of five from Abuja, Nigeria, to Mississauga when he was 10. Even after his scholarship, his dad reminded him to have a backup plan.
"I always wanted to go pro but it was never the be all and end all for me," he said. "But it was always the dream. I'm lucky enough and grateful enough that it worked out."
From Minneapolis to Villarreal
Minnesota United picked him in the 2022 MLS Super Draft. He made his league debut in October 2024 and put up eight goals and six assists over 25 games that season. The following year, he scored a team-leading 10 goals with eight assists in 24 appearances.
Then came an unexpected turn. Last summer, Villarreal expressed interest. By the end of August, Minnesota had dealt him to the La Liga club in a transfer reportedly worth north of US$8.5 million.
"I'd just signed a new deal so I'm thinking I'm there for a couple years," Oluwaseyi said. "But for it to happen so suddenly, there was always going to be a period of uncertainty."
He finished with two goals and two assists over his first 27 games for Villarreal. Personal numbers, he admitted, weren't what he'd hoped for.
"Making a move from MLS to a top-five league wasn't always going to be smooth sailing," he said. "But I've become a better player since going there. That's the most important thing."
Old teammate, new country
Fellow Canadian Tajon Buchanan was already at Villarreal. Having a national team teammate made the adjustment easier — someone who'd done the same move from MLS to Europe.
"Being the only person from your part of the world can be difficult," Oluwaseyi said. "Having him there made things easier. We can bounce ideas off each other."
They're now together in North Carolina for training camp, both hoping to spend the summer chasing a World Cup title. Canada opens on June 12 in Toronto against Bosnia-Herzegovina.
"The closer it gets, the less real it feels," Oluwaseyi said. "For me, it's important not to look at the size of the occasion and just focus on myself."
He made 23 appearances for the national team since his first call-up in 2024, scoring two goals and adding three assists. Playing a World Cup on home soil carries particular weight.
"I remember being 14 and watching Toronto FC play at BMO Field and being like 'Oh, it would be cool to be there someday,'" he said. "To be able to have done that or even surpassed it is pretty cool."
The gratitude list has grown. It serves as what he calls "a little bit of extra motivation" — a way to reflect during both the downs and the ups.
"There are always down moments, there are always high moments," he explained. "And I think in both those moments it's important to reflect on the journey."
His parents always instilled thankfulness, he said, regardless of whether it was about sports or life in general.
"I think it's something we've carried from a very young age," Oluwaseyi said. "And I think I'll carry it for the rest of my life."