Young Canadian Luc de Fougerolles relying on self-belief in advance of possible World Cup debut on Friday

If one of Canada’s men encapsulates how quickly fortunes can turn in the game and in life, it’s 20-year-old Luc de Fougerolles.

Under more ideal circumstances, head coach Jesse Marsch would like to start Moise Bombito and Derek Cornelius as his centre backs. But Bombito, who continues to struggle with the aftereffects of a broken leg, might not make the roster, let alone play Friday’s opener against bruising Bosnia and Herzegovina.

His starting spot will almost certainly be taken by de Fougerolles.

“To be fair, I’ve always backed myself,” he said after Wednesday’s short training session under darkening skies in Toronto. “I’ve always known I’m a good player. I’ve kind of done the right things every day for club and country… I’ve been working my whole life for opportunities like this.”

His self-belief aside, de Fougerolles is an unlikely national-team ascendant. He was born and raised in London, a product of Fulham’s academy on the Thames; he can play for Canada because his father, Jean, was born in Montreal. In 2018, when Canada was named a co-host for this summer’s World Cup, then-11-year-old Luc walked up to his father with a plan for 2026.

“I want to be playing in that,” he said.

A few years later, Jean de Fougerolles sent a message on LinkedIn to Mauro Biello, now Marsch’s assistant but then the head of Canada’s under-23 program.

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When Biello became Canada’s interim head coach after John Herdman’s departure in 2023, he brought de Fougerolles to an otherwise disastrous away friendly against Japan. The teenager made his on-field debut under Marsch in Copa America qualifying the following spring. He was tasked with marking Darwin Nunez