It is the latest chapter in what has already been an unusual soccer journey for a player whose roots grow deep into the Canadian soccer system.
Larin started playing soccer with Brampton Youth Soccer Club when he was 7-years-old before joining Mississauga-based Sigma FC as a youngster.
He was part of the Brampton team that won the Ontario Cup at the Under-12 level in 2007 and later attended St. Edmund Campion Secondary School, where he helped the school win three OFSAA championships.
Canada Soccer notes that Larin grew up in Brampton playing soccer, basketball and hockey. His path eventually took him to the University of Connecticut, where he scored 23 goals in 39 appearances over two seasons.
Then came the professional breakthrough.
Selected first overall by Orlando City in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft, Larin immediately made his mark. He scored 17 goals in his rookie season, setting an MLS record for goals by a first-year player, and was named MLS Rookie of the Year.
It was the beginning of a career that would take him well beyond North America.
Larin moved to Turkish powerhouse Beşiktaş in 2018 before spending time on loan with Belgium’s Zulte Waregem. He later played in Belgium with Club Brugge and in Spain with Real Valladolid and Mallorca, along with a loan spell at Dutch club Feyenoord.
Southampton became the latest stop.
The club initially brought Larin in on loan from Mallorca in February 2026. He made an immediate impression, scoring with his first touch for Southampton on his debut.
He finished the second half of last season with eight Championship goals in 16 league appearances, and Southampton subsequently made the move permanent in June. The club signed him to a two-year contract with an option for another year.
This season, however, Larin has taken his game to another level.
He scored in each of Southampton’s three league matches in August and was named the Championship’s Player of the Month. One of his goals against Millwall, a spectacular flick over a defender followed by a left-footed volley, was subsequently nominated for the league’s Goal of the Month.
Then came last Saturday.
Larin scored twice as Southampton defeated Bristol City 4-1, with the second goal giving him seven in seven league games. It was also his eighth goal in nine appearances across all competitions this season.
It has prompted Southampton manager Tonda Eckert to call Larin “the best striker in the league.”
Larin, however, has been quick to spread the credit around.
“It feels good but I don’t think I can do this without my team-mates,” he told BBC Radio Solent after the Bristol City victory. “They play such a big role in me being able to score and I have to give credit to the coach too.”
His hot start is particularly significant for Southampton.
The Saints are trying to get back to the Premier League after being relegated in 2025. Southampton had spent 11 consecutive seasons in England’s top flight before relegation in 2023, returned for one season, and then went down again in 2025.
Last season, Southampton finished fourth in the Championship but were removed from the promotion playoffs following the fallout from the club’s spying scandal and were handed a four-point deduction for the new season. Despite that setback, the club has made a strong start this time around, with Larin playing a major role.
And all of that came after what may have been the biggest summer of Larin’s career.
Canada hosted World Cup matches for the first time this year, and Larin played a key role in the national team’s run to the knockout stage.
He scored Canada’s equalizer against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the opening match, coming off the bench and finding the net just two minutes after entering the game. FIFA noted that the goal gave Canada its first-ever World Cup point.
Six days later, Larin scored again as Canada defeated Qatar 6-0 for the country’s first-ever World Cup victory.
Canada ultimately advanced to the knockout stage before losing 3-0 to Morocco in the Round of 16. Larin finished the tournament with two goals in four appearances.
Those goals also added to a remarkable international career.
Larin is now Canada’s second-leading men’s international scorer, behind Jonathan David. Canada Soccer currently lists him with 30 goals for the national team, while FIFA’s World Cup statistics record his two goals at the 2026 tournament.
And now, with the World Cup behind him, the Brampton product is back in England and putting together perhaps the most productive stretch of his club career.