We recently had the pleasure of meeting (and playing some football with) a Canadian player plying her trade in Europe. She has an intriguing story so far, and it’s only likely to get more interesting. Let us introduce you to Madison Solow, a Canadian talent you should know more about.

Madison Solow. Hi! Please tell us who you are and where you currently play.
Hi! I’m Mady, a female professional soccer player that currently plays in Verona, Italy.

Where did you grow up and where did your love of the game come from?
I grew up in Toronto until the age of 13, when I moved to the US on a soccer scholarship at IMG academies. I started playing because my older brother played. But after that I don’t know where my love for the game came from. I’m the only one in my family to play soccer seriously and it is something that just came naturally to me!

You went to University of California and got a degree in Criminology while playing on the university’s team. How did you get from that point to joining your first professional club?
It was a hard transition for me. I wanted to play in Europe and I really didn’t know how to go about things. I tried getting an agent, and unfortunately ended up with one who had no desire to help me. I took some wrong turns and lost a lot of time, but fortunately I eventually got my game footage in front of the President at Fimauto Valpolicella here in Italy and she decided to take a chance on me.

Can you describe what getting your first agent is like? How does it happen?
I was really excited to get my first agent. It’s something that makes you really feel like a professional. Unfortunately, there are a lot of agents out there (especially on the female side) who like to build up a big client roster and wait for teams to come to them.

It depends who you are, an agent can contact you, or you can look up some agencies and contact them. They watch your game tape and decide if they are willing and able to help you. Unfortunately, I didn’t find an agent that was right for me straight away. Although, I can say now I am very happy with my agent and she and her team are a great fit for me!

What was it like as a young Canadian arriving in Italy? How were you treated? What did you learn?
I, like many Canadians, arrived in Italy with very minimal Italian. Just the basics: Ciao, grazie… (all wrongly pronounced and with a terrible accent). Luckily, the entire team was very welcoming and willing to help me whenever needed. There were girls on the team who spoke English and translated for me, but eventually I did pick up the language.

Best/worst thing about living in Verona?
Best thing is the food and it is a gorgeous city! The worst thing is that it’s very far from Toronto.

Finally, what’s happening with you this season, and what are your goals for the next few years?
I’ve come back to Verona, Italy to play my third season here. My goals for the future are to one day hopefully play in Champions League and my top goal would be to play for the Canadian National team. Everything until then is just putting in the work!

We hope to have more from Madison in the near future. In the meantime if you want to follow her team, you can find more on Fimauto Valpolicella here.