It’s not often that a Canadian soccer star is the focus of a transfer tug-of-war between two clubs.

But that’s the situation Cyle Larin found himself in as MLS side Orlando City and Turkish club Besiktas duked it out over his rights.

Here’s what you need to know about this young star…

Full name: Cyle Larin

Position: Forward

Age: 22 (April 17, 1995)

Place of birth: Brampton, Ont.

Height: Six-foot-two || Weight: 190 pounds

Orlando vs. Besiktas

One of the top scorers in MLS over the past three years, Larin has previously let it be known that he wanted to ultimately play in Europe.

Turkish champion Besiktas earlier this month tweeted out photos of what appeared to be the young Canadian undergoing a physical and training with the club. The problem? Orlando insisted he was still under contract to them, and quickly issued a statement.

“The club has not agreed to terms on a transfer of Larin and will take all necessary action against Besiktas in response to the announcement,” read the statement. “Larin remains under contract with Orlando City through 2019 and is expected to join his teammates at pre-season camp later this month.”

On Tuesday, Orlando announced that the two two teams agreed to transfer terms regarding Larin.

In the beginning

Before going to off to play U.S. college soccer, Larin excelled at the private soccer academy Sigma FC of the Ontario Soccer League. It was clear from an early age that he was a special talent. During his time at Sigma, Larin went to Europe for training stints with such notable pro clubs as Werder Bremen, Hertha Berlin and Wolfsburg in Germany and with Club Brugge in Belgium.

He starred for two seasons at the University of Connecticut (14 goals as a freshman, nine as a sophomore) before leaving school early to sign an underclassman deal with MLS, which paved the way for him to be drafted by Orlando City.

Canadian kid makes good in MLS

Larin made history in 2015 by becoming the first Canadian to be selected with the No. 1 pick in Major League Soccer’s SuperDraft. A 19-year-old forward at the time with the University of Connecticut, Larin went to the expansion Orlando City via the first overall selection.

He went to become the first Canadian to win the MLS rookie of the year award, taking the honour in 2015 when he scored 17 goals, setting the league’s record for rookie goal scorers. He followed that up with 14 goals in 2016, and was named to that year’s MLS All-Star team. Last season, he bagged 12 goals for Orlando.

What makes Larin so special?

His 43 goals in 87 regular seasons appearances over the last three seasons ranks him as one of the top scorers in the league during that time period, and allowed him to establish himself as a true “No. 9,” a numeric distinction given to traditional, goal-scoring strikers – think of Alan Shearer, Filippo Inzaghi and Gerd Muller as classic “No. 9s.”

Here’s an interesting fact

Larin wasn’t able to attend the 2015 draft — at the time he was playing for Canada at the CONCACAF U-20 Championship in Jamaica.

But he watched the draft unfold online as it happened, and was mobbed by his Canadian teammates when he heard his name called by MLS commissioner Don Garber.

Canadian content

While Larin has been a prolific scorer in MLS, he hasn’t hit similar heights for Canada. The Orlando forward has made 23 appearances for Canada (16 as a starter), and was featured at the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup and in 2018 World Cup qualifying. He’s been limited to five goals.

Larin made his debut for the Canadian national team before he even turned professional. He was still playing NCAA soccer when he earned his first cap for Canada in a friendly against Bulgaria on May 23, 2014 in Austria.

A spot of trouble

Larin was arrested last June in Florida on a drunk driving charge. According to the police report, Larin blew a .179 and a .182 on a sobriety test. The Florida legal limit is .08. Larin was given a citation for driving on the wrong side of the road and spent the evening in an Orange County jail before being released from custody.

The incident in Orlando happened roughly 24 hours after Larin played for Canada in a friendly against Curacao held in Montreal.

Larin ended up missing a handful of games for Orlando as he went through the league’s Substance Abuse and Behavioural Health Program. Originally, he was left of Canada’s roster for the group stage of the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup, but was recalled for its quarterfinal match against Jamaica.