David is the top scorer in Ligue 1 this season. His next career move – whether Inter,
Liverpool or elsewhere – will be crucial
By Adam White for Get French
Football News
Space has always been at a premium for Jonathan David. “We only have a handful of domes here in Ottawa,” David’s former youth coach Jay Da Costa told First Time Finish last year. “Those domes get used up, not just by soccer, but
baseball and football and other organisations too. It’s hard to get time and, usually, when you get it, you’re only training on one-third of the field, sometimes one-sixth.” Ottawa’s cramped domes – large, inflatable tent-like structures that shield pitches from the harsh Canadian winters – were an early step on an unusual career path for the young forward, who is now ready for his next big jump. However, such fast progress was not always so certain.
Ten appearances into his career in
France, having joined Lille from Gent in August 2020, David was without a goal or an assist. Lille won nine of those games but David moved from a guaranteed starter to an intermittent presence due to his lack of form. It took him until last November’s 4-0 win over Lorient to finally score a goal. Although his movement, speed and interplay hinted at his quality, he scored just two goals in his first 25 games for the club.