jonathan david | Go to the next level

On this Sunday, let’s go with a little riddle, allow me. So it goes like this: after just over two-thirds of the campaign, who is the top scorer in the French league?

This enigma is not of the quality of those of Father Fouras, we agree, but try to elucidate everything.

Could it be Lionel Messi? Player par excellence of the last World Cup and the best player of his generation? No.

What about Neymar? Face of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) since 2017 and comer for the most goals with the prestigious Brazilian selection? Neither.

So maybe it’s Wissam Ben Yedder? The French international who has finished first or second on the circuit in the last three seasons? Negative.

What if we told you that the answer to our question is rather a Franco-Ontarian named Jonathan David who was still playing soccer in the nation’s capital approximately five years ago? Well, after 27 games played during the season, the Canadian striker shares the top scorer rankings with none other than French soccer star Kylian Mbappé.

Each with 19 successes, a hot fight is expected for the last 11 games of the season. What’s more, Mbappé’s PSG were eliminated from the Champions League in the round of 16 due to a loss against Alphonso Davies’ Bayern Munich. An additional motivation for the Frenchman.

Come, come, come, come

Thanks to a hat-trick against Olympique Lyonnais on Friday, David rose alone to the top scorer rank for his club, Lille, in the 21st^e century. With his 53 successes, he overtook the Belgian star, now at Real Madrid, Eden Hazard (50 goals). In fact, he is the club’s top scorer for the past 40 years.

The former Chelsea star praised the Canadian via a video on Twitter before mentioning that the two discussed the record during the Maple Leaf’s clash with Belgium at the worlds.

And David is in his best season with the club. He has already passed his best season in Ligue 1 and should reach the plateau of 20 goals in a league season for the first time in his career.

The 23-year-old player, as skilled with his right foot as with his left foot, has been expected to leave the French championship for a few months now. And the exit rumors are getting bigger and bigger, especially because of what he mentioned to informant Fabrizio Romano on Saturday.

His agent, Nick Mavromaras, was the first to discuss a potential departure for the striker. Last year he said his client was interested in Premier League teams, but in the end David started a third consecutive season in France.

David walked around the garden. He won the title in 2020-2021 and if he were to get his hands on the golden shoe this season, he will be propelled into another universe: that of the superstars.

A Canadian icon in the making

Before arriving in Lille, the Ottawan wore the colors of La Gantoise in Belgium. His transfer to the French club is the most expensive for a Canadian player (estimated at $45 million). A record he should beat again when he takes over the management of an even more prestigious club.

But as the old saying goes, no one is a prophet in his country. This winter, David could have become a national hero if he had been able to score the first goal for the Canadian men’s team at a World Cup – gossips will say that it would have been an easier task if Davies had allowed to take the penalty against Belgium. The honor ultimately went to Davies, against Croatia.

Despite his recent successes and even if he is necessarily heading for a renowned club, David’s reputation is still to be made at the local level.

He is also the second-highest scorer on the Canadian men’s team. Only Cyle Larin, still active, has more. His priority of three goals over David will most likely not be enough to avoid the inevitable push from the Franco-Ontarian.

David will have a second chance to enter the collective imagination in 2026 when the World Cup will be played in the United States, Mexico and, above all, in Canada. The maple leaf has already obtained its pass for the event as host country.