Canadian international winger Liam Millar has joined Hull City of England second-tier Championship from Swiss Super League side Basel. Millar (23) controls the ball against Chile during the second half of a Copa America Group A soccer match, Saturday, June 29, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. in this file photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Phelan M. Ebenhack)
HULL, United Kingdom – Canadian international winger Liam Millar has joined Hull City of England’s second-tier Championship from Swiss Super League side FC Basel.
The 24-year-old has signed a three-year deal with a club option for another year.
Millar spent last season on loan in the Championship with Preston North End, scoring five goals and adding five assists in 36 appearances.
The Toronto-born Millar had 13 goals and 10 assists in 98 appearances for Basel after signing from Liverpool in July 2021.
“I am very happy to be here,” Millar told the Hull City website. “It’s been quite a long process to get the deal done. I enjoyed my time at Basel but I was ready to come back to England and continue to show people what I have.
“I have ambitions in what I want to do in my career and I’ve been very vocal about wanting to play in the Premier League.”
Millar has won 32 caps for Canada and was part of the Canadian team at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Hull (19-14-13) finished seventh in the Championship last season, missing out on the promotion playoffs by three points. The club appointed Germany’s Tim Walter, a former Bayern Munich youth and reserve team coach and Hamburg manager, as head coach in May
Millar moved to England with his father to pursue his soccer dream when he was about to turn 13. He initially found a home with Fulham before joining Liverpool’s academy in 2016.
His family eventually reunited in Liverpool, which sold him to Basel after loan spells with Scottish Premiership side Kilmarnock and League One’s Charlton Athletic.
At Liverpool, Millar progressed from the under-18 and -19 sides to captain the U23s. He made his senior debut in February 2020 against Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup before a sellout crowd of 52,399 at Anfield.
With two young daughters, the return to England with Preston meant he and wife Daniela (from Oakville, Ont.) have a better support group nearby.
His parents both work in the TV and film industry.
His mother is a makeup artist whose credits include the first instalment of the new “Dune” franchise and “Priscilla.” His father is a “spark” (electrician) whose credits include several seasons of “Game of Thrones.”
A young Millar – at 10 or 11 – was cut trying out for Toronto FC’s academy.
Founded in 1904, Hull City is now owned by Turkish entrepreneur Acun Ilıcalı, a producer of Turkish TV shows including “Survivor,” “The Voice” and “MasterChef.”
—
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 9, 2024
