2026 Golden Scarf Nominees

With so many great talents contributing to our success in 2026, it is hard to narrow it down to only 3 for the Golden Scarf. However, our members voted, and their choices were clear. The Golden Scarf represents a player whose service to the club has gone above and beyond within the year, acting as a key contributor with meaningful connections with supporters and the club. 

Here is the case for each of the 2026 Golden Scarf Nominees.

Ballou Tabla

By Jonathan Hopkins

When Ballou Tabla first came to Ottawa in 2022, it was a very special moment. A statement signing showing that despite coming dead last in 2021, we were looking to compete. And compete we did, winning the regular season and hosting our first ever playoff final. Tabla was a major part of that team, being nominated for Player of the Year and Player’s Player of the Year, losing narrowly on both to teammate Ollie Bassett. After the highs of 2022, it was not surprising suitors came knocking, and off to Turkiye he went, netting a nice transfer fee for the club. Ottawa’s prodigal son returned to the side in 2024, and what a gift that has been.

Flashforward to 2026, and the Tabla is back to his 2022 heights, bringing iconic moments and big wins to us here in the capital. Walking through his on pitch achievements this year is a magnificent stroll down memory lane. Our first encounter with an MLS side since the Fury days, away at TFC, Ballou Tabla put on a masterclass. A hat trick is always an impressive feat in this sport, but to do one against a team spending nearly 20 times what we do, away from home, is nothing short of glorious. His performance in Halifax, bagging 2 goals and an assist in a 3-1 route away from home, echoes a similar tune. A total of 15 goals and 2 assists across all competitions (at time of writing), and fantastic performances have landed him firmly in the Golden Boot race, the MVP race and the spot of our top rated player across statistic reporting websites. 

Becoming our all time appearance leader with 111 appearances, he has secured a major place in Atleti History. However, his love for this club doesn’t end with what he gives on us the pitch. Tabla has repeatedly noted how much this club has meant to him, with coach Drew Beckie dubbing him “Mr. Atlético Ottawa”. We are hard pressed not to agree with that assessment. 

With all of these accomplishments, it is easy to see why Tabla is perhaps the perfect choice for the Golden Scarf in 2026.

Manu Aparicio

By Joey Huneault

While almost anyone can learn to dribble, or make the right pass, or even score a perfect goal, but there are a few things even the greatest of coaches can't teach, and the natural strength of leadership demonstrated by Manny Aparicio is the ideal example. Whether it's rallying the team to overcome an MLS side in the CanChamp for the first time in club history, slotting in a game winning assist, or simply saying “hello” to the supporters at the end of the match, our captain leads armed with strength and skill in each hand. Filling the shoes of former club icons like Drew Beckie and Nathan Ingham, Manny took the armband this year, and ran with it. 

While he may not score goals like our other Golden Scarf nominees, the team would be exceptionally different without his presence. He brings a certain connectivity to our squad that not many other players can match. He fits in so well alongside veteran players like Coque, and he serves as a perfect mentor for players like Antinoro or Sergei. Importantly, he can contribute so fluidly in every single third of the pitch that you're just as likely to see him making a critical pass as you are to see him block what would otherwise be a certain goal.

For these reasons, and many more, Manu is certainly always going to find himself on our shortlist of Golden Scarf nominees.

Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau

By Patrick Gibson

When news of a mid-season transfer breaks, there’s a hum in the air at the ground and online about just how this new signing may completely flip the fortunes of a side in the wilderness. When that signing arrives, comes off the bench and scores a 96th minute winner that hum turns into a buzz and then into a cacophony of cheers. Getting that from a local boy returning home makes it all the sweeter and Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau was the injection that Atletico Ottawa needed to rejuvenate a team that seemed to be floundering. Seven goals in his first eight games made it hard not to be endeared with the 24-year-old who had returned home after an up and down spell at Galway United in Ireland. It’s hard to imagine the success we have enjoyed on the pitch in the second half of the season without our new talisman up top.

Of course, being awarded the Golden Scarf is about so much more than just the play on the field, though it does make it easier to endear yourself to a fanbase when the success is so immediate. He has connected in so many ways in just three short months through club initiatives and his interactions with those at TD Place after matches. Combine that with a dogged determination that shines through essentially every moment he steps onto the pitch, and it’s hard not to see NFC as an example for how to go about your business as a professional. An exemplary model for all to follow in performance and attitude, even in as brief a spell as he has had with Atlético Ottawa, Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau is a deserved finalist for our Golden Scarf.

So who is your choice for the 2026 Golden Scarf? Which case is most compelling to you? Let us know and be sure to tune in before kickoff as it is awarded to the winner as chosen by the CCSG Executive.