Tajon Buchanan climbs out of his injury hellscape

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Tajon Buchanan had lost control of being able to do the one thing he enjoyed the most.

The pivotal moment occurred in training ahead of Canada’s 2024 Copa América quarterfinal vs. Venezuela, as a freak tackle wound up with the high-flying wingback breaking his tibia. Then 25, Buchanan spent five months off the pitch after a vaunted transfer to Inter Milan earlier in the year – not a healthy place to be for someone who relies on games to stay sane.

“All you think is ‘Why me?’” Buchanan, wearing a look of typical resolve, told The Athletic.

The insult added to the injury came swift and hard, as he returned in late November to sparing minutes. His hopes of becoming an Inter Milan starter had been derailed by the injury. Competing in games was his haven. Buchanan was left without a map on how to get there.

“I didn’t feel like myself,” he said, his voice growing faint.

Finally, through a winter loan to Villarreal, Buchanan is reclaiming the control he had lost. After a recent ankle injury provided yet another hurdle to clear, Buchanan returned to action in La Liga on Wednesday as a second-half substitute in defeat to Celta Vigo. Villarreal is currently fighting for La Liga’s fifth and final Champions League spot. If Buchanan can light up the right side of the pitch in the final stretch, then he could help propel them into Europe – and himself back into the limelight.

A year on from his catastrophic injury, this summer’s Concacaf Gold Cup presents more opportunity. The recent draw revealed that Canada’s path to a first trophy in 25 years won’t be easy. Canada will need Buchanan, whose attacking abilities from wide areas make him one of the team’s most electric, and important, players.

If Buchanan does dominate the Gold Cup, as he did in 2021, he’ll do so because of the challenging road he took to his own recovery.

Though he doesn’t make a habit of doing so, Buchanan can close his eyes and feel the agony that came when his right leg began swelling uncontrollably. He was days away from competing in his most important game for Canada under Jesse Marsch. A Canadian defender had just come in hard on a challenge in a training session.

In the blazing Texas summer heat, Buchanan had to fight off feelings of deliriousness.

“I knew this wasn’t something I was familiar with,” he said. “On impact, I felt the pain in my leg. I saw that I was seriously hurt.”

His Copa América was over. A lengthy surgery in Texas followed to repair his leg. Canadian teammates Richie Laryea and Kamal Miller spent long hours at his bedside in the immediate aftermath of the surgery.

They tried to put Buchanan at ease over his future. But both would look wearily at each other, knowing the truth. Buchanan’s injury could be career-altering, and how he would process it on his own remained to be seen.

“No one told me how long I’d be out for. (Doctors) give you a base of four to six months, but it wasn’t like they told me, ‘This is how serious it is, this is how long you’ll be out for,’” Buchanan said, before lowering his voice once again. “Everyone thought I wouldn’t be back until 2025.”

Canada teammates pay tribute to the injured Tajon Buchanan at the 2024 Copa América quarterfinals by displaying his jersey in a goal celebration vs. Venezuela. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)

A little over a year since being Canada’s best player at the 2022 World Cup – with performances that put him on the radar of clubs like Inter – Buchanan was helpless.

Off the field, if you ever spot Buchanan, the safe bet is that he will be alone. Calling him quiet is an understatement. He’s not just comfortable being a lone wolf – it’s his preferred state.  His father died when he was 7. At just 15, he left his Brampton home to move to Colorado with his friend and his friend’s father to pursue his dream.

The only place he comes out of his shell is on the pitch.

“It’s just who I am: I’m more introverted. It all comes naturally to me,” Buchanan said, shrugging his shoulders. “Since I was a teenager, I’ve been away from home, alone, trying to chase my dream.”

Buchanan spent the first month of his injury recovery with family in Toronto, unable to move strenuously. He spent hours alone watching soccer, including his new team as their season kicked off.

The time alone wasn’t as enjoyable as it has been in the past for Buchanan.

Though he was just months off scoring his first Serie A goal, he saw Italian Matteo Darmian stake a strong claim the starting position on the right side that Buchanan wanted. The likelihood of an immediate future with Inter began to grow dim.

Once he returned to Italy, Buchanan used that instability to fuel his recovery. He went at mobility and muscle-strengthening exercises with the newfound vigor. Still, despite being deemed fit to play late in October, Buchanan barely saw game action. The expectations surrounding Inter Milan and its Serie A title defense were too great for manager Simone Inzaghi to gamble with Buchanan as a starter, as there were more proven options elsewhere in the squad.

Just as he was feasting on crumbs and playing a few minutes here and there, Dutch wingback Denzel Dumfries, whom Buchanan was signed to potentially replace, re-upped on a new deal.

Feelings of helplessness increased. Buchanan questioned his future with the club and beyond. Midway through the season, he was at the lowest point of his career.

“The first time in my career I wasn’t playing. That was all new to me,” he said. “I wanted much, much more.”

Life had come at Buchanan fast. By contrast, Jonathan David, another key cog for Canada, has taken his time with the next steps in his career and stayed at Lille in France for the full five years of his contract. Yet moving from MLS (New England Revolution) to Belgium (Club Brugge) to Italy within three years led Buchanan to a harsh realization that every player needs to endure in order to have a long, successful career.

“Not everything is going to go the way you want it to go,” Buchanan said. “Sometimes people think we’re professionals and things always just fall into place. But this is a journey of roller coasters and ups and downs throughout my career.”

Buchanan dribbles in front of Inter manager Simone Inzaghi. (Photo by Isabella Bonotto/AFP/Getty Images)

He had two options: stay at Inter, a prestigious club, and fight for his spot but risk not playing ahead of the 2026 World Cup; or with that tournament on the horizon, take another chance on himself with a loan and playing time elsewhere.

Instead of wallowing on a bench, Buchanan was adamant about playing.

“I just had to reflect,” Buchanan said. “While I was at Inter, I was just asking myself what I wanted in that moment. And I want to just play games. And I wasn’t getting that. A change had to happen.”

His loan to Villarreal is reminding him of the player he can be. Inserting himself into Villarreal’s roster midway through a season hasn’t been easy, and another key decision awaits at the end of the season, when his loan (which has an option for Villarreal to buy) expires. But Buchanan has relied on the same inner drive that’s pushed him through time in MLS and Belgium.

In La Liga, Buchanan has the opportunity to earn the minutes he craved months earlier. In March, he became a regular for Villarreal, quickly earning his first assist in his second start, before a minor setback sidelined him for another brief period.

His experience could serve as a lesson for Canadian players as more and more of them ascend into Europe’s best leagues. Repping the biggest clubs is nice, but playing time is the priority. Nevertheless, Buchanan’s ambition and ability to pivot will serve him well ahead of World Cup games on home soil. Marsch wants his players elevating themselves with their clubs, and over the past few months, after emerging from his injury hellscape, Buchanan had to learn how to do just that.

The immediate payoff could come this summer.

The 2021 Gold Cup was Buchanan’s breakout platform. He solidified his place as Canada’s next rising star with outlandish dribbling prowess and a fearless nose for goal, and he scored an equalizer against Mexico in the semifinals. Four years later, this summer’s competition could be his chance to remind onlookers of what makes him so valuable – and vital to Canada’s 2026 World Cup hopes.

“That’s all we’re working towards: to go out in 2026 and win,” Buchanan said.

After months of turmoil, Buchanan is in a better position to push Canada to do just that. His second start at the club level in a year was against Real Madrid in March. He walked on the field as a starter that day, ready to play and feeling better about his future.

“It allowed me,” he said, cracking a rare smile, “to feel like myself again.”

(Top photo: Jose Jordan/AFP/Getty Images)

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