It’s been a great five years for Canadian football. Canada returned to the FIFA World Cup for a second time and ended a 36-year drought after finishing runners-up in the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League final before qualifying for the Copa America for the first time, reaching the semi-finals and inches away from bronze before losing on penalties to Uruguay.
Canada beat the United States in the third-place match to win a bronze medal in the CONCACAF Nations League finals to start 2025 thanks to goals from Tani Oluwasei and Jonathan David. Subsequently, Canada won the CONCACAF Gold Cup and finished first in the group with two wins and one draw, scoring nine goals and conceding one goal. However, after losing to Guatemala in a penalty shootout, they failed to advance to the Gold Cup semifinals. This was their last official game of the year.
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After competing for major trophies in Qatar and the United States, Canada will now have the opportunity to co-host the 2026 World Cup in front of its own home fans with Mexico and the United States. Canada will host the winner of Italy/Northern Ireland versus Wales/Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto as they look to snap a six-game losing streak and score their first points at the World Cup before traveling to Vancouver to face Qatar and Switzerland.
Whether Canada can finally make its mark on the world’s biggest sporting event remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure: if Canada wants to have a chance of emerging from Group B, they’re going to need Jonathan David to be at his best.
David was born in Brooklyn to Haitian parents. He moved to Haiti as a child and moved to Ottawa when he was six years old, where he stayed until 2018. After turning 18, he moved to the Belgian team Gent, where he played 83 times, scored 37 goals and 15 assists, and tied for the Golden Boot Award winner in the 2019/20 season. These outstanding performances attracted the attention of Ligue 1 team Lille, who signed him to a five-year contract worth 30 million euros.
The most expensive Canadian player of all time, David initially struggled to adapt to life in Ligue 1, failing to score in his first 13 games before finally finding the back of the net for Les Dogues. David had had a rocky start into the third week of January, scoring just two goals, but began to rediscover his form in the new year, scoring four goals in five games before making other significant contributions – a brace against Marseille and goals against Angers, Lyon and PSG – which kept Lille in contention for the league title and holding on over the final two months to claim their first Ligue 1 title in a decade.
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As they say, the rest is history. With 109 goals and 30 assists in 232 games, David became Lille’s third all-time top scorer, earning praise from the likes of Ray Hudson and Rui Duarte, while also proving to be a trailblazer. As the first Canadian player to join Ligue 1, David’s success in France proved instrumental in the transition of other Canadian players to Ligue 1 such as Ismael Kone, Derek Cornelius, Moise Bombito and Theo Baier.
Although David left many goals in Lille’s legendary history, he did not leave any transfer income, and the center left northern France this summer to join Italian giants Juventus on a free transfer. After scoring in the opening game against Parma and assisting in his third Serie A game against Inter Milan, David has moved from Lille’s undisputed center forward position to competing with veterans such as Luis Openda and Dusan Vlahovic for the starting ninth spot. While Vlahovic suffered a long-term adductor injury against Cagliari on November 29, which opened the door to an extent, it didn’t completely change David’s situation.
His only saving grace came in the Champions League, where after failing to score in the first four games, he came on as a substitute against Norway and scored the winning goal in extra time against Bodø/Glimt before coming on as a substitute against Cagliari. He regained his starting spot against Udinese but was subsequently dropped by Napoli, with Juventus coach Luciano Spalletti choosing not to use either of his two available centre-forwards.
David subsequently returned to the starting line-up for Juve’s next two games, doubling the lead shortly after Weston McKennie’s opener and finishing in the 72nd minute of Juve’s 2-0 win over Paphos. However, he failed to maintain his momentum during the hour-long performance in Bologna. David failed to complete a single shot, failed to complete two dribbles, lost possession of the ball 16 times and finished second in each of seven faceoffs. To make matters worse, Juventus scored the only goal of the game right after David came off the field. In the team’s 2-1 victory over Roma, David came on as a substitute in the last 13 minutes, and the latter scored the decisive winning goal. David then replaced Openda on the hour mark and assisted on the decisive second goal in a 2-0 win over Pisa before starting in the 1-1 draw with Lecce. However, he ended his goal drought in the next game, scoring a goal and providing an assist in a 3-0 win over Sassuolo.
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Juventus and Canadian fans alike will be praying that David can replicate his post-Christmas turnaround as he looks to shake off a dismal start to his first Serie A season. At almost 26 years old, David has become one of the greatest players in the history of the Canadian national team, scoring 37 goals and 20 assists in 73 games. He will look to make his mark on home soil this summer for Jesse Marsh’s side after failing to score in three games in Qatar.
“We’ve all been very aware of what Jonathan David has been doing in European soccer for some time, and Canadian head coach Jesse Marsh is very lucky to have so much quality between him and Tani Oluwasei,” MLS veteran Brian Dunseth said. “I remember there was a lot of pressure on Cyle Larin’s shoulders, and then out of the blue David came along. He was like Folarin Balogun on the U.S. national team — Canadians valued David’s ability to be in the right place at the right time, especially in the big games.”
“Everybody talks about his profile as a player, like athleticism, speed, strength, but what I focus on is his intelligence. I just think the way he plays is so smart, the way he runs the line, how he utilizes these big defenders and tactically smart defensive formations, how he keeps finding those seams and how he The moment of receiving the ball. Obviously, anytime you’re a goal-scorer joining Juventus, you’re going to be facing a lot of crazy attacks. “The hope for Marsh is that David can be more consistent in front of the net, fit and sharp, without any hiccups, and be ready to lead Canada at the World Cup. “
The grass isn’t always greener, and that’s certainly the case with Jonathan David. After years of fighting to leave, David is finally playing for one of the biggest teams in the world, and he’s struggling to find his feet. As for Lille, they have managed to cope with his absence thanks to the summer arrivals of Olivier Giroud and Hamza Igamane, but there is no denying that they would welcome David back immediately. However, those days are a thing of the past. David is now trying to establish himself in Italy.
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Most importantly, Canada needs Jonathan David to deliver his best performance at the FIFA World Cup, and that will only happen if he starts regularly and scores goals with confidence. Not surprisingly, as David endures a difficult transition in Italy, his numbers have dried up with Team Canada, with the forward failing to score in his past five games against Wales, Australia, Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela.
Can David finally regain the form that made him one of the most coveted centers in Europe? Stay tuned for a crucial few months for Canada’s all-time leading scorer.