Meet Jonathan David, Ligue 1's Top Scorer

Canada is on the brink of reaching its second World Cup in the country’s history and one of the main reasons for their revival is star striker Jonathan David.

While Alphonso Davies continues to rise to superstardom of his own at Bayern Munich, David is forging his own path with Ligue 1 side Lille.

This season, he’s not only the club’s top goal scorer, but the leading scorer in France’s top flight with 12 goals to this point. In fact, he’s scored more league goals than Paris Saint-Germain’s leading trio of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar combined.

David is looking like a hot commodity in the transfer market this summer, potentially joining some of the sport’s other promising young strikers like Erling Haaland and Dusan Vlahovic in making huge-money moves across Europe.

David was born in New York City to Haitian parents before eventually settling in Canada with his family. The striker spent time playing for various youth teams in Ottawa as a child before taking his talents to Europe in 2018.

The Canada star joined Belgian side Gent, where he immediately became a hit at the club. David scored 30 goals in 60 matches across all competitions and that led him to earning his first opportunity with the national team shortly after.

David then parlayed that success into a move to Lille where he has become a major focal point for the club’s attack alongside Jonathan Bamba, Tim Weah and Burak Yilmaz.

He’s currently sitting on 12 league goals for Lille, which is the most in Ligue 1 this season.

David is a fast-paced striker with deadly speed off the ball on top of his natural finishing abilities. The Canadian typically plays alongside a second striker up top and David’s ability to play off of that player makes him a lethal weapon in and around the penalty area.

David has also had experience playing as an attacking midfielder because of his elite dribbling and ability to take on defenders while in possession. With Canada boasting another top striker option in Cyle Larin, the Concacaf side has a lot of reason for excitement in the attack for years to come.

David will be a massive presence for the Canadians as they look to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, and it’s easy to say that Canada are beginning to undergo their golden generation of football.

A trip to the World Cup for David and his teammates would be just the second in the country’s history and provide even more exposure for the young striker, who is already succeeding at the club level.

Due to the World Cup being held in November, a strong finish to the French season with Lille could give David a head start on a new journey at the club level.

He’s already being linked to sides like Arsenal, Chelsea and PSG, so the 22 year old has significant upside.

Given his current trajectory, David could be the next in line to complete a massive move in the same way his countryman Davies did when he moved to Bayern back in 2018.