Jonathan David

Early life

Jonathan David was born in Brooklyn to Haitian parents and moved to Port-au-Prince at three months old. His family left Haiti for Canada in 2006, settling in Ottawa. He attended the Francophone school École secondaire publique Louis-Riel, where he credited constant ball time for his development. He started organized soccer at ten with Gloucester Dragons SC, later playing for Ottawa Gloucester SC and Ottawa Internationals SC. Before joining Gent, he tried out for FC Salzburg and VfB Stuttgart but was turned down by both.

Club career

In January 2018, David joined Belgian side Gent. He made his professional debut on August 4, 2018, against Zulte Waregem, scoring a stoppage-time goal to salvage a 1–1 draw. Five days later, he scored as a substitute in a Europa League qualifier against Jagiellonia Białystok. Three days after that, he came off the bench to score two late goals in a 4–1 league win over Waasland-Beveren.

After five goals in his first five games, Gent extended his contract through 2022, later extended to 2023. On August 11, 2020, Lille confirmed his signing for a reported €30 million, making him the most expensive Canadian transfer. He made his Ligue 1 debut on August 22 against Rennes, becoming the first Canadian to play in the league. After a slow start, he scored his first Lille goal on November 22 against Lorient.

He netted an extra-time winner against Reims, scored a brace against Nantes on February 7, 2021, and scored the winning goal in a 1–0 away win over PSG on April 3. On May 23, he scored in a 2–1 win over Angers as Lille won the 2020–21 Ligue 1 title. He finished his first season with 13 league goals.

International career

David was identified by the Canadian youth program in 2015 and attended under-15 camps. He represented Canada at the 2017 CONCACAF U-17 Championship, scoring a brace against Suriname. In 2018, he declined a call-up to the United States under-20 team. He made his senior debut for Canada on September 9, 2018, scoring a brace in an 8–0 win over the U.S. Virgin Islands.

At the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup, he scored a hat-trick against Cuba in a 7–0 win and finished as the tournament's Golden Boot winner with six goals. After a 6–0 win over Cuba on September 7, 2019, he set the record for most Canada senior international goals in a single year with eight. He was named the 2019 Canadian Men's Player of the Year. On June 8, 2021, he scored his second hat-trick for Canada in a 4–0 win over Suriname in World Cup qualifying.

He was left out of the 2021 Gold Cup squad due to injury. During the 2022 World Cup qualification campaign, he tallied nine goals. He was part of Canada's 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, where the team finished second to last.

Style of play

David is a versatile forward who plays primarily as a second striker in a 4–4–2 formation or as an attacking midfielder, and can also play as an out-and-out striker. He is known for his goalscoring ability, pace, and ability to find gaps in the defense. He combines short passes with teammates, uses tight control, and is effective on counterattacks. He is noted for his tactical intelligence, defensive work-rate, and willingness to press opponents.