Kadeisha Buchanan wins 2020 Canadian Player of the Year Award presented by Allstate

Kadeisha Buchanan from Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team has been named the 2020 Canadian Player of the Year presented by Allstate. Buchanan wins the national award for the third time in six seasons after a year in which she helped Canada qualify for the Olympic Games and she won three trophies with her club Olympique Lyonnais including UEFA Women’s Champions League.

Buchanan was named to the Best XI at the 2020 Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship in February when Canada qualified for their fourth consecutive Olympic Games and won a Concacaf medal for the ninth consecutive tournament. In France, Buchanan won her fourth UEFA Women’s Champions League title, her fourth Championnat de France (the league title), and her third Coupe de France (the domestic cup). She also a year-end nominee for the UEFA Team of the Year.

Buchanan from Brampton, Ontario was honoured from a vote shared by Canadian media and Canadian coaches. Buchanan shares the 2020 Canadian Players of the Year Award presented by Allstate with co-winner Alphonso Davies from Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team.

“For Kadeisha to have played an integral part in her fourth UEFA Champions League speaks to one of her many accomplishments and contributions to both club and country in which she should be very proud,” said Bev Priestman, Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team Head Coach. “It has been a fantastic season for Kadeisha and it has been great to see her performances and the goals she has scored, too.

“She has world-class qualities that any country would be proud to have and she is a highly-valued member of the squad both on and off the pitch, so we are thrilled for her personally in receiving this well-deserved recognition. As a team, to know you have a centre back that opposing forwards hate to play against, it fills the group with confidence.”

With Canada in 2020, Buchanan featured in six international “A” matches from January through March before the global pause in football because of the Covid-19 pandemic. She earned Canada’s Player of the Match honours against USA in the Final of the Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship, which was also her milestone 100th international “A” match. She also had an assist in the match against Mexico and she was named the Canada Soccer Player of the Month for February.

Buchanan won her second Canada Soccer Player of the Month honour in August after she helped Olympique Lyonnais win the 2019-20 UEFA Women’s Champions League title on 30 August 2020 in San Sebastián, Spain. From January through November, she featured in 17 club matches and scored three goals and was a major part of the team’s 20-match unbeaten streak across all League, Cup and UEFA competitions from 12 January through 13 November (which in its entirety ran 73 undefeated matches across three seasons starting on 26 August 2018).

Before this year, Buchanan previously won the Canadian Players of the Year Award in 2015 and 2017. Still only 25 years old, Buchanan has won one Olympic Games bronze medal (Rio 2016), three Concacaf medals (2016, 2018, 2020), and represented Canada 101 times at the international “A” level.

Buchanan was just 14 years old when she made her debut in the Canadian youth program in 2010. She was 17 years old when she made her international “A” debut for Canada on 12 January 2013 and she scored her first goal on 8 May 2014 in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

2020 Canada Soccer Player Awards
This marks the 28th edition of the Canada Soccer Player Awards. Amongst women’s footballers, Kadeisha Buchanan finished first in voting ahead of runner up Christine Sinclair and top-five finishers Janine Beckie, Ashley Lawrence and Jordyn Huitema.

As part of the 2020 Canada Soccer Player Awards, Tajon Buchanan and Jade Rose were named Canadian Youth International Players of the Year while Mohamed Farsi was named Canadian Futsal Player of the Year. Maxime Crépeau, meanwhile, was named the 2020 winner of the Allstate Canadian National Teams Good Hands Award.

Beyond the Player Awards, Canada Soccer will announce the Canada Soccer Nations Champions presented by Toyota on Monday 22 December, a new award that will honour individuals that have made a difference in their community at the grassroots level of the game. Nominations for the Canada Soccer Nations Champions are open from 24 November through 13 December.

Past winners of the Canadian Players of the Year Award
2020 Kadeisha Buchanan & Alphonso Davies
2019 Ashley Lawrence & Jonathan David
2018 Christine Sinclair & Alphonso Davies
2017 Kadeisha Buchanan & Atiba Hutchinson
2016 Christine Sinclair & Atiba Hutchinson
2015 Kadeisha Buchanan & Atiba Hutchinson
2014 Christine Sinclair & Atiba Hutchinson
2013 Christine Sinclair & Will Johnson
2012 Christine Sinclair & Atiba Hutchinson
2011 Christine Sinclair & Dwayne De Rosario
2010 Christine Sinclair & Atiba Hutchinson
2009 Christine Sinclair & Simeon Jackson
2008 Christine Sinclair & Julian de Guzman
2007 Christine Sinclair & Dwayne De Rosario
2006 Christine Sinclair & Dwayne De Rosario
2005 Christine Sinclair & Dwayne De Rosario
2004 Christine Sinclair & Paul Stalteri
2003 Charmaine Hooper & Pat Onstad
2002 Charmaine Hooper & Jason deVos
2001 Andrea Neil & Paul Stalteri
2000 Christine Sinclair & Craig Forrest
1999 Geraldine Donnelly & Jim Brennan
1998 Silvana Burtini & Tomasz Radzinski
1997 Janine Helland & Mark Watson
1996 Geraldine Donnelly & Paul Peschisolido
1995 Charmaine Hooper & Alex Bunbury
1994 Charmaine Hooper & Craig Forrest
1993 Alex Bunbury