With 65 international caps and a wealth of club experience, Junior Hoilett brings a lot to the table.
And with Canada coach Jesse Marsch looking to improve his team's on-field leadership and communication, the 35-year-old Hibernian winger is a welcome addition to the roster for friendlies against Romania on Friday in Bucharest and Wales next Tuesday in Swansea.
"We brought Junior (in) for several reasons. None more important than the quality of the player he is," Marsch said Thursday. "But certainly his experience, his leadership, his ability to understand what the best games are about and how to represent the Canadian national team is probably better than anyone in our player pool because of his experience.
"And I think that even for our coaching staff, for our player pool, we all look to Junior in a real strong way."
A native of Brampton, Ont., Hoilett has 16 goals and 16 assists for Canada since making his debut as a 25-year-old in October 2015 under Benito Floro.
Hoilett, who has captained the national team in the past, last played for Canada in November in the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against Suriname. He scored in the first leg to give Canada a 1-0 win.
His club career has taken him from the English league (Blackburn Rovers, Queens Park Rangers, Cardiff) to Germany (SC Paderborn, St. Pauli, Reading), Canada (Vancouver Whitecaps) and now Scotland (Aberdeen and Hibs).
"One of the things I referenced with Junior in front of the group was when you watch him play club football, whether he starts, whether he comes off the bench, his level of performance, his steadiness, the quality that he delivers at every moment is exactly what it needs to be," said Marsch. "And I think our players can learn a lot from that … So he will play (Friday) and we're excited to get him on the pitch."
Hoilett, who missed out on last summer's Copa America after sustaining a hamstring injury in training on the eve of the tournament, signed a new one-year deal with Hibernian in July.
At the time, Hibs coach David Gray cited Hoilett's "composure, calmness and real quality."
Hoilett has found a home in Edinburgh.
"I'm enjoying it there," he said with a smile. "A very nice city."
His family visits from London, where his nine-year-old son is part of the Reading academy.
Hibernian (1-0-2) currently stands third in the Scottish Premiership behind Edinburgh rival Hearts and league-leading Celtic.
Hoilett joined Aberdeen in February 2024 before joining Hibs last summer.
"To be fair, when I first got to Scotland, I didn't expect the league to be as good as it is now," he said. "The quality of teams and players there is a good standard."
Fellow Canadians Alistair Johnston (Celtic) and Derek Cornelius (Rangers) also call Scotland home.
Hoilett committed his international future to Canada in September 2015. Canada, under Benito Floro, was ranked 102nd at the time. He was also eligible to play for Jamaica by virtue of his parents. England was also a possibility because of his time spent there.
"I can't wait to play, put on the Canada jersey for the first time, and help the team achieve better things and progress as a nation," he said at the time.
Today, the Canadian men are ranked 28th, an all-time high.
"It's an exciting time for Canada," said the soft-spoken Hoilett, who saw action in all three games at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
He likes what he sees at Canada training these days.
"You see a lot of quality, a lot of youth, a lot of ability in the squad," he said. "Now, compared to when I first joined the national team, you can see a major difference — players playing at club level at the highest stage, playing Champions League … The standard of (Canada) training and matches is a different class. It's a joy to be around the boys here."
Marsch is Hoilett's sixth national team manager after Floro, Octavio Zambrano, John Herdman and interim bosses Michael Findlay and Mauro Biello.
Hoilett consistently pops up in the right place to help compromise opposition defences.
In July 2017, he produced a highlight-reel goal, curling a long-range effort past Andre Blake in a 2-1 loss to Jamaica at the Gold Cup. In July 2021, he hauled in a moon shot pass from Stephen Eustaquio and chipped goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado for a 2-0 Gold Cup win over Costa Rica.
In September 2021, introduced at halftime with Canada down a goal to Honduras, he helped turn the tide in a 1-1 World Cup qualifier by drawing the penalty that led to Cyle Larin's game-tying penalty kick.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 4, 2025
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
