Ultimately, it didn’t take Giovinco long to make a decision on the move to North America. He consulted his wife, Shari, who was initially unsure about moving to a new place with their two-year-old son, Jacobo. But Giovinco felt it was time for something new. “I wanted to change leagues,” he says. “And, truthfully, the first offer that came in was from Toronto.”

But while the move was a financial boon for Giovinco, it didn’t take long for it to have an impact on his status in the game back home. Despite playing some of the best soccer of his career and already having 21 caps, Giovinco was left off the Italian team for the European Championship this year, with Italian coach Antonio Conte saying there were consequences to playing in the MLS. The snub upset Giovinco, who defended the quality of MLS. He remains unapologetic about his decision to come to Canada. If he had to do it again, he says, “I would make the exact same decision.”

Giovinco’s connection with his adopted city gained significant meaning this summer when his wife gave birth to their second child, Alma. “It’s what I wanted,” he says of his daughter being born in Canada. The family has taken a liking to the city, and Giovinco embraces Toronto as a second home. Even Shari, who was initially skeptical, is now “contento.” “I didn’t expect a city this beautiful,” he says. “I like the life, the people. It has an air of positivity.”

It helps, too, that the No. 10 and his name are on the backs of the majority of jerseys in the sea of red that fills BMO Field each game. Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore, TFC’s other two designated players and key factors in the team’s success this season, don’t receive near the attention the “Atomic Ant” generates.

Bradley says his teammate has the kind of unique abilities that set players apart. He rhymes off a list: the ability to play in tight spaces, to play between lines, to drift, to put guys on the wrong foot—combined with perfect technique in passing, shooting and dribbling. “Those are special players,” Bradley says. “I think in those ways, Seba has special qualities.”

The biggest challenge for TFC coach Greg Vanney has been implementing a structure on the field that has his team operating as a cohesive group, while also allowing Giovinco the freedom to work outside of that structure. “Everybody has to be able to improvise within your system,” Vanney says. “But obviously he has special talent to do more things than anybody, so he’s obviously got a lot more leeway to improvise.”

With the success Giovinco has had in the league, it would be understandable to wonder if he might look to return to soccer in Europe. But Giovinco says he’s committed to seeing out his contract with TFC, unlike Defoe.

The night before he scored the most important goal in TFC history, Giovinco texted Vanney on his way to the airport. He let the coach know that he expected to play for TFC the next night. “You’re ready for 90 minutes, right?” Vanney replied, kidding. “Yep, ready for 90 mins,” Giovinco responded, not kidding at all.

He arrived in Toronto just a few hours before the game against the Red Bulls and watched anxiously through the first half before Vanney put him in and he ran through four opponents to score the winner.

So there’s no question in Vanney’s mind about Giovinco’s commitment to the team. And for the record, without question, the coach believes his player is the best to ever play in the league.

For his part, sitting in this small Italian restaurant, working through a salad before training, Giovinco has little interest in revealing his grand designs for MLS supremacy. “My objective is simple. To do better game after game, year after year,” he says. “In terms of overall, I will tell you if I accomplish it. But for now, it’s just ‘Do better every time I’m on the field.’”

It’s a safe answer. In his new world, Giovinco isn’t interested in making grand pronouncements. His play is enough of a statement. There may be no bat flips in the future, but eventually Toronto fans, beyond the TFC faithful, will rise with him.

He gets up from the table, ready to leave, and kindly thanks the waitress, a new fan. He passes the bar where the manager eagerly shakes his hand goodbye. Then Giovinco exits out into a busy street, where no one appears to recognize him at all. He smiles and, with a slight jog in his step, turns down an alley and is gone.