The latest Canadian soccer superstar is just 16 years old

By: Rachael Bishop

Canadians would do well to remember the name Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty. Marshall-Rutty, a 16-year-old midfielder on the first team for Major League Soccer’s (MLS) Toronto F.C., is shaping up to be the latest male soccer teen phenom from the Great White North. 

Marshall-Rutty, from Brampton Ontario, has been in Toronto’s system since 2014; when he was first scouted by the then-head coach of TFC’s youth academy Gianni Cimini at just ten years of age. Four years later, at age 14, Marshall-Rutty signed his first professional contract, with Toronto F.C. II, the main club’s minor-league/reserve team. 

13 months later, in January of 2020, he became the youngest TFC to sign a contract with the main club, and it’s understood that his six-year homegrown player contract is the longest currently in the MLS. On October 24^th, at age 16, against the Philadelphia Union, Marshall-Rutty became the sixth-youngest player in MLS history. Alphonso Davies, by comparison, is the second-youngest MLS player in history (Davies made his league debut at age 15 in July of 2016).

Danny Dichio, a Former TFC player and current assistant coach with TFC II, claims “I do think he could be one of the top potential players within Canada within the next three or four years,” he said to The Athletic earlier this month. “And playing for the national team for a long, long, time.”

Marshall-Rutty also holds the distinction of being the youngest player ever called up to senior men’s national team, beating Davies by five days; however, Marshall-Rutty has yet to play in a game for John Herdman’s Canadian squad. 

Thanks to Davies’ quick ascent into one of the top left defenders in the world playing for Bayern Munich; Marshall-Rutty is also beginning to generate intrigue from some of Europe’s most prestigious clubs. According to goal.com, interested clubs include Manchester United and Manchester City of the English Premier League (the number one soccer league on the planet), Juventus of Serie A (the number one league in Italy), and Davies’ own Bayern Munich of the Bundesliga, Germany’s number one league. 

According to kickalgor.com, the English Premier League, Serie A and the Bundesliga consist of three of the five of the world’s highest ranked soccer leagues (La Liga in Spain and Ligue 1 in France are the other two); not bad for a Canadian kid from Brampton who has played all but 18 total MLS minutes. 

Despite the potential European interest, Marshall-Rutty will have to get significant playing time to prove he is worth the investment of these top clubs; however, that shouldn’t be a problem. FIFA transfer rules state that he cannot move abroad until he turns 18, which means that he would be unable to join any team overseas until June 16^th, 2022. But as Davies did before him, he is eligible to sign with any top European club before then. 

Should he make the leap across the pond next summer, Marshall-Rutty would become the third Canadian player in the past four years to join a top European side, after Davies and forward Jonathan David (of Lille, currently the number one team in Ligue 1), not too shabby for a Canadian squad that, based on the latest FIFA ratings, is ranked 70^th in the world.