FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida – Jonathan David’s eyes move quickly to the left, taking him somewhere far from the poolside table he’s sitting at. That place — a state of mind, perhaps — is one the Lille and Canada attacker constantly longs for: the moment immediately after scoring a goal.
“It’s the best feeling you can have in football,” he says, and it’s a feeling he has experienced more and more of late, having scored four goals in his last three Champions League appearances, all against European heavyweights: Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Juventus.
“It’s always nice to score against big clubs,” he tells The Athletic. “But for me, every goal is important. On the outside, it means a lot more. I could score a hat-trick on the weekend against Le Havre, but I score one goal against Real Madrid and in two, three weeks, that’s the goal people will be talking about.”
For Canada, David has been involved in seven of Canada’s nine goals under Jesse Marsch; his quick assist was the difference in Canada’s 1-0 win over Suriname in the first leg of their Nations League quarterfinal. His performances prompted Marsch to describe him as “the most intelligent footballer I’ve ever coached”.
“(The Canadian coaching staff) all really believe that he can be one of the best in the world, if he’s not already in that category,” Marsch told reporters.
It’s all brought David and his future back into frame, with his Lille contract running out in summer 2025, meaning an historic move to a European giant appears imminent. When that move comes, one of Europe’s biggest clubs will be getting one of most potent goal scorers on the planet.
David’s future has been the topic of rabid speculation since he pushed Lille to the Ligue 1 title in 2021, becoming the only side besides Paris Saint-Germain to win Ligue 1 since 2017-18. However, perhaps because he has yet to make that move to a bigger club, he is still not as well known as some.
“To be honest, I don’t get as much attention,” he says. “If you compare me to anyone, really. You go out with (fellow Canada star Alphonso Davies) and there’s guys waiting for him at the hotel, everywhere,” David says.
And David is able to sneak by? “Easily. When we play in North America I can sneak by and live a normal life.”
Soon, however, very little will remain normal for David. It seems like every week there is a different club emerging who have him on their shortlist of transfer targets. Arsenal, Manchester United, Inter Milan… plug “Jonathan David” plus the elite European club of your choice into a search engine and endless rumours emerge. The latest is Bayern Munich, who are also playing their own game of poker with the future of their Canadian star, Davies.
Top European clubs are undoubtedly watching the impact David has: Lille has not lost when David has scored this season. He is ruthless in front of goal, scoring 22 of 26 penalties in his career for Lille. His penalty goal over Real Madrid on October 2 handed the Spanish giants their first Champions League defeat since May 2023.
And he has developed the presence of mind to constantly sniff out open areas of the pitch to exploit. It’s made David less of a poacher and more of a multi-tooled attacker, able to occupy a midfield role if needed. His last Champions League goal, featuring a decisive run against Juventus, was evidence of that.
Asking David to explain that goal reveals a man who does not overthink matters. “I think it was a basic movement, really. The winger came inside so I went the opposite way,” David says. “It was a great ball and my first thought was how quickly can I bring this ball to goal? I see the defender was trying to recover, so for me it was about getting there and fast and being able to take a shot unopposed.”
Le travail stratosphérique d’Edon qui sert parfaitement Jona’ 🍗
𝑴𝑨-𝑮𝑵𝑰-𝑭𝑰𝑸𝑼𝑬 😍 pic.twitter.com/wNij408GLm
— LOSC (@losclive) November 6, 2024
Yet even after scoring in succession against the world’s biggest clubs, David doesn’t even think he’s playing the best soccer of his life. “Things are good right now because I’m scoring goals. But is this the best I’ve played in my life? Probably not,” he says. “For me, it was my second year in Belgium. That was the season of my life.”
David bagged an outlandish 18 goals for Gent in 27 Jupiler Pro League appearances in 2019-20 as a 19-year-old.
“It was a collective,” David says of that season. “The team we had that year, the football we were playing, the position I was playing.”
He was deployed largely as an attacking midfielder that season, not the centre-forward many assume he will be in Europe.
“I can adjust to a lot of systems; I’ve played with two (forwards), as a lone striker. But having that freedom to move around, to be a bit everywhere would be preferred. In that sense, I can get the attention off me and find the space to make the difference,” David says.
Easy-going seems to be David’s default approach. Take, for example, his comment when asked about his gameday routine.
“The only thing I need is water, just to stay hydrated,” he says. “I don’t necessarily nap. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I don’t really have a routine. For me, every day is different.”
It is the embodiment of the shrug emoji. That attitude doesn’t change once he arrives at stadiums, either.
“I’m never too stressed before games,” he says. “I like to chat, to laugh. I’m relaxed.”
Being immune to stress is a gift. In a way, that feeling is central to his entire future.
With his contract running out next June, David’s future is in his own hands. He can move this winter if he finds a project to his liking and the club that signs him is willing to pay a transfer fee to Lille. Or he can run out his contract and become a free agent in the summer, when there could conceivably be more options. David is more comfortable than ever shedding light on his mindset and his preferences on his long-anticipated move.
“Going to a club midseason is never easy,” David says. “It’s not like the beginning of a season where you have a pre-season, you get to know your team-mates, you have time to gel. In January, things are very hectic. It’s about right now. It’s tougher.”
The one club he openly wants to play for? Barcelona.
“(Barcelona) was always the team I grew up supporting. When you grow up supporting a team, it’s your dream to play for them,” David says.
We are getting closer to finding out whether that dream will become a reality, though David will likely end up spending his full five seasons at Lille.
“Some people might say, ‘Oh, he’s staying at Lille, this is a downgrade, he’s not getting better’. But for me, there’s always opportunities to get better,” David says.
He believes he’s far from a finished product. And if he can add more tools to his game in his final season in France, the list of interested clubs will grow.
“Aerially, I can get better,” David says. “Getting that header on target and scoring. I can get in good positions and win headers but the finishing touch, I’m still missing. With my back to goal, I can also get better.”
And so as much as the last five years in France have propelled David, the next five years could likely end up defining his career.
What’s become clear is that he feels no pressure to pull the trigger on his next move. Opportunities came up, but he was comfortable being patient for the one that suited him best. That patience, and his ability to prioritize what is best for him instead of rushing into any initial interest from a sizable European club, will also be a pillar of what defines that future.
It is nearly five years since he moved to a top-five league. What does he hope his career will look like five years from now?
“That I had no regrets,” he says. “That I did everything I could. That’s it.”
(Top photo by Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)
