He's had to cope with months as a free agent after relegation with Hamilton - but Charlie Trafford says his new chapter with Wrexham is one that's hard to script.
The Welsh club who play in England's National League have caught headlines recently after a takeover from Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Robert McElhenney.
Interest in the club has grown off the back of it amid a cash injection, sparking excitement around the area after their visits to various local locations.
Trafford has joined their bid to enter the EFL and with another Canadian in Reynolds helping the club's goal, he says it's been a whirlwind entry into Welsh life.
He said: "It's a very exciting time to be joining Wrexham, and with a fellow Canadian (Reynolds) involved with the ownership, it makes for a funny story! But on the football side, it's an exciting project.
"They have huge aspirations and are putting finances behind what is already a well-established club. It's got a big history with an unbelievable fanbase.
"The club has real potential to be big again and it makes it a fun project to be part of. It's a cool thing. But the National League is such a tough league to get out of.
"I've heard people saying that Wrexham will walk out of this league because some money has been put in, but football doesn't work like that. It's going to take time."
The high-profile investment has many tuning into the Wrexham story and Trafford can sense an added sense of anticipation around the club. He's not been one-on-one with either Reynolds or McElhenney yet, but their impact is noticeable.
He explained: "A few days after I signed, they both came to Wrexham for the first time. It turned into a mad week and it was surreal. They met the boys, chatted, and were out on the training pitch.
"It doesn't make sense! It's hilarious, but fair play to them, they've been really good. It's put so much excitement and life into the club. Fans have been unbelievable.
"The whole place is behind it. I didn't need to negotiate my contract with Ryan Reynolds but he threw me up on his Instagram when I signed, which was pretty funny. You can't write things like this story."
Trafford left Hamilton in the summer following their relegation to the Championship. He made 17 appearances during an injury-hit spell but still enjoyed his time at Accies, despite the struggles.
Having previously played heavily in Finland, Trafford had options in Scandinavia, but ended up spending several months without a club before Wrexham snapped him up.
He believes some look down upon Scottish football when looking for potential signings.
The midfielder added: "I have good contacts in Scandinavia and I had offers to go back out there. But I put them on hold as I wasn't really keen to move back there. I was keen to stay in mainland Europe or the UK.
"A couple of good deals fell through due to Covid and then you start to panic. You want to wait for the right deal so I just had to be patient.
"But this felt right. People underestimate the Scottish league a lot. They don't know how difficult it is to play there and some people turn their nose up at you.
"I came to Accies to win. I don't think I played in the last 10 games or so and I was frustrated. It's a club that wants to play young players and I had a good time at Hamilton.
"They expect you to fight and roll up your sleeves and I like that mentality. All I want to do is win and I don't think we should have gone down, but that's how ruthless football can be."
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