Tani Oluwaseyi’s transfer from Minnesota United to Spain’s Villarreal CF involved more than a simple flight across the Atlantic.
First the Nigerian-born Canadian international had to renew his Nigerian passport, which involved a stop in Atlanta to get a visa for the trip to Lagos. Then he flew to º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøto renew his Canadian passport.
Only then could he join his new team in Spain.
The miles spent in the air were worth it.
Instead of gearing up for a U.S. Open Cup semifinal with Minnesota against Austin FC on Sept. 17, the 25-year-old forward can look forward to a Champions League date with Tottenham on Sept. 16.
Future Champions League opponents include Juventus, Manchester City, Greece’s Pafos FC, Borussia Dortmund and FC Copenhagen.
“A couple of formidable teams in there but I’m excited,” said Oluwaseyi, currently in camp with Canada during the September FIFA international window.
Oluwaseyi started up front with Jonathan David on Friday in Bucharest, earning an assist on Niko Sigur’s goal in a 3-0 win over No. 48 Romania. On Tuesday, the Canadian men take on No. 31 Wales in Swansea.
Oluwaseyi made his Villarreal debut Aug. 31, coming off the bench with 13 minutes left in a 1-1- draw with at Celta Vigo.Â
“It was incredible,” he said. “I probably didn’t get to enjoy it as much as I should have, just because of everything that had happened a few days before. Still not knowing where I live and all that.
“But all in all, looking back at it, I think that’s a moment I’m going to remember for a long time just because of what it meant for me and my journey and everything that I said that I was going to do in my career. So it was pretty cool.”
Oluwaseyi has some more moving to do after his time with Canada, with an apartment, car and belongings back in Minnesota.
“I have quite a few things to do still,” he said with a wry smile.
Villarreal, which is also home to fellow Canadian Tajon Buchanan, finished fifth in La Liga last season with a 20-8-10 record and ranked third in scoring with 71 goals behind Real Madrid (78) and Barcelona (102).
Villarreal located 65 kilometres northeast of Valencia, is second in the table so far this season at 2-0-1.
The club has a pedigree.
Villarreal won the Europa League in May 2021, defeating Manchester United 11-10 on penalties after a 1-1 draw, and has reached the Champions League semifinals twice (2005-06 and 2021-22).
The Spanish side is known as the Yellow Submarine for its vibrant yellow kit and decor at its 23,000-capacity Estadio de la Cerámica home.
It’s also a club with a sense of humour, judging from its Aug. 30 social media video welcoming the Canadian. It shows the club’s stadium announcer rehearsing the Villarreal starting lineup, only to stumble at Oluwaseyi.
The video shows the Canadian coming up and placing a hand on the announcer’s shoulder before delivering his full name — Tanitoluwa Oluwatimikhin Oluwaseyi.
On the international front, Oluwaseyi is making a name for himself with 16 caps for Canada, including seven starts, with two goals and two assists.Â
He made his debut in Jesse Marsch’s second game at the helm, a scoreless draw with France in June 2024 in Bordeaux, and has figured in 16 of Marsch’s 22 games at the helm.Â
His last four appearances — and six of the last eight — have been starts.
Selected in the first round (17th overall) of the 2022 MLS SuperDraft out of St. John’s, Oluwaseyi spent time with Minnesota’s MLS Next Pro team during an injury-interrupted rookie season before being loaned to Antonio FC of the USL Championship in July 2023.
He had seen just 11 minutes of MLS action before a breakout season in 2024 with eight goals and six assists in 25 regular-season appearances. He led the Loons with 10 goals and eight assists in 25 games this season prior to his move.
“I’ve never had a straight path to where I am now,” he explained. “So I just try to take things as they come, let them come organically and just deal with them as they come.”
Still Oluwaseyi, who moved to Canada with his family when he was 10, has an impressive track record when it comes to scoring.
He racked up 68 goals and 27 assists in four years at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Secondary School in Mississauga, Ont. At the collegiate level, he scored 20 goals and added 10 assists in 49 appearances for St. John’s from 2018 to 2021.
And he appeared in 62 matches across all competitions for Minnesota, scoring 20 goals and adding 14 assists.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 7, 2025
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