Vancouver FC has sold 16-year-old Canadian midfielder Grady McDonnell to Belgian champion Club Brugge KV in the second-biggest transfer deal in the history of the Canadian Premier League.
The league did not disclose the transfer amount. But a source, granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, said the fee was 350,000 euros ($526,025).
Rob Friend, Vancouver FC's co-owner, president and CEO, confirmed that the CPL club will also get a portion of a subsequent transfer fee involving McDonnell, who turns 17 on Feb. 17.
The sale is second only to Forge FC's transfer of Kwasi Poku in August to Belgian second-division side RWD Molenbeek, which reports pegged at $850,000.
"It's exciting on many fronts," said Friend, a former Canadian international. "It's exciting obviously for the player. It's exciting for the club. It's exciting for the Canadian Premier League.
Friend calls the transfer "a very large statement" in the early days of the CPL, which kicked off in 2019 with Vancouver FC coming on board in 2023.
Club Brugge (14-3-6) currently sits second in the elite Belgian Pro League and is still involved in Champions League play this season, despite a 3-1 loss Wednesday at Manchester City, with Italy's Atalanta its opponent in the European cup competition's playoff round.
Founded in 1891, Club Brugge has won the Belgian league 19 times and lifted the Belgian Cup on 11 occasions. It made the finals of the 1976 UEFA Cup and 1978 European Cup, losing to England's Liverpool on both occasions.
Canadian international winger Tajon Buchanan joined Club Brugge from the New England Revolution after the 2021 MLS season. Buchanan subsequently moved to Italy's Inter Milan in January 2024.
McDonnell, a native of Surrey, B.C., became the youngest signing in CPL history when he joined Vancouver in January 2024, at the age of 15 years, 10 months and 25 days. He became the second-youngest player to debut for Vancouver — and third-youngest debutant in CPL history — in May at 16 years, two months and 17 days.
(T. J. Tahid was 16 years and six days old when he debuted for Vancouver. And Shola Jimoh was 16 years, two months and one day old when he made his York United debut.)
McDonnell went on to make 17 appearances in his first CPL season.
Landing McDonnell was a coup for Vancouver FC. The teen had been in the Vancouver Whitecaps system for two years before moving clubs.
But he wanted to play. And Vancouver FC offered him that.
"When I signed with Vancouver, the club offered me the opportunity to continue my development by testing myself against professionals day in and day out, in training and, importantly, in competitive matches," McDonnell said in a statement Friday. "The club pushed me, helped me improve my game and ensured I was ready for this next step.
"I’m grateful to Vancouver for their support of me and I’m excited to start a new chapter with Club Brugge."
Friend says the sale is further proof that the world is watching the Canadian league,
"The level (of CPL play) is very strong and European clubs are starting to see that," Friend said in an interview. "So if you're a young ambitious Canadian player, this is a great platform to showcase yourself."
A powerful forward, Friend won 32 caps for Canada and played professionally in Norway and the Netherlands before embarking on a successful stretch in Germany with Borussia Moenchengladbach, Hertha Berlin, Eintracht Frankfurt and TSV 1860 Munchen.
He joined the Los Angeles Galaxy in January 2014 but retired later that year — at the age of 33 — after missing more than five months of action due to concussion-related problems.
McDonnell has represented both Canada and Ireland at youth level — his father has Irish bloodlines.
He has made 26 appearances for Ireland from the under-15 to under-17 levels since September 2022, most recently in European Under-17 Championship qualifying play in November. He represented Canada at the 2023 CONCACAF Boys’ Under-15 Championship in the Dominican Republic.
McDonnell has already had training stints in England with Blackburn Rovers, in Germany with FC Schalke 04 and in Ireland with Shamrock Rovers FC.
Vancouver FC coach Afshin Ghotbi, who has coached around the world, marvelled at McDonnell's performance in pre-season last year, calling him "one of the best young athletes in North America."
Ghotbi said McDonnell caught his eye immediately the first time he saw him.
"I didn't know who he was. In his first tackle, I thought 'Wow, I want this player on my team.'"
McDonnell made no secret that Europe remained his ultimate destination. Club Brugge has opened that door.
"His talent is unlimited," said Friend. "And his character is top. So he's now going to go into the big stage in Europe and I know he's going to make it, because of his character.
"He's got the full package and he's got the ambition and mentality to make it to the next level."
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 31, 2025
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press