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Jonathan David’s move to Juventus a defining moment for Canadian striker

    Juventus is one of the most beloved—and at the same time, most hated—clubs in Italy, the Turin-based outfit having won a record 36 Serie A championships and 15 Coppa Italia crowns, as well as a pair of UEFA Champions League titles.

    Founded in 1897, the Bianconeri have built their success upon a foundation of star-studded rosters that feature the country’s best players, mixed in with some of the biggest foreign stars in world soccer. 

    Michel Platini and Zinedine Zidane (both of France), Omar Sívori (Argentina) and Pavel Nedvěd (Czech Republic) all won the Ballon d’Or at Juventus. Others such as Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), John Charles (Wales), Zbigniew Boniek (Poland), Michael Laudrup and Didier Deschamps (France) were among the very finest players of their respective generations while featuring for Juve. 

    Now, Jonathan David has been added to Juventus’ international list of “who’s who,” becoming the first member of the Canadian men’s team to ever wear the club’s iconic black and white striped shirt. David was introduced as the Serie A giants’ latest signing on Friday, inked to a five-year deal worth a reported $9.61 million Canadian per season, with up to $3.8 million in bonuses. 

    “Growing up as a kid, I always looked up to a club like Juventus and thought, this is probably one of the top 10 biggest clubs in the world. So, for me to be sitting here today is an honour,” David told the team’s website after the deal was announced. 

    It’s a marriage from which both sides stand to benefit greatly. In David, Juventus is getting one of the most prolific forwards in world soccer over the past several years. The Ottawa native, who has an all-time high 36 goals for the Canadian men’s team, started his club career with 37 goals in two seasons with Gent in the Belgian league. 

    From there he moved to France where he bagged 109 goals across five seasons with Lille OSC, helping the modest club from the northern part of the country to win its fourth Ligue 1 title, and first in a decade. In 2024-25, he netted 25 goals in 49 matches across all competitions for Lille before becoming a free agent at the end of the French league season. 

    Juventus could badly use the type of goal-scoring prowess that David has shown for both club and country. Serbian striker Dušan Vlahović is believed to be on his way out after a disappointing campaign. At the same time, the status of Frenchman Randal Kolo Muani, on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, remains uncertain with the start of the Serie A campaign a little more than six weeks away.  

    At 31, Polish striker Arkadiusz Milik’s best days are behind him. Turkey’s Kenan Yıldız and Belgian Samuel Mbangue are young prospects who show promise but are still developing. Portugal’s Francisco Conceição and Nicolás González of Argentina underwhelmed in their debuts for Juventus last season. 

    David, 25, is joining Juventus at the right time and age, not even in his prime, and with most of his career and his best soccer still ahead of him. He’s also entering a situation at Juventus where he will be the attacking focus of the team, the main reference point up top, and the player around whom what happens on the pitch will be built. He has the potential to become the new standard bearer for Juventus, the very face of the club. 

    Playing for one of the most famous teams in world soccer is a big step up for David. It’s also a move that comes with a great deal of pressure, especially as David will be expected to lead the revitalization of a Juventus side that hasn’t won an Italian league title in five years, and who last lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy in 1996. 

    But that’s entirely the point. David is nicknamed “The Iceman” because that’s exactly how he plays – with a cool and calm demeanour, highlighted by his clinical ability as a finisher. The soft-spoken Canadian is a man of few words who thrives under the weight of expectations when the spotlight shines brightest, having scored against some of world soccer’s best clubs, including his new employer, in the Champions League while at Lille. 

    He’s among the game’s best strikers, but because he played in France, his talents were largely unrecognized. Juventus provides David with a global platform to announce himself to the world. 

    Juventus continues to be linked with other strikers during the summer transfer window, including Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and Italian international Mateo Retegui of Atalanta, last season’s top scorer in Serie A.  

    Even if one of them is brought in, David will still feature prominently for Juventus, either as part of a dynamic front-two pairing, or in a hybrid role as a second striker where he’ll be expected to create, as well as score. Such an assignment won’t be new for David. He’s been a prolific playmaker throughout his career, collecting 30 assists for Lille (in 232 games) and 17 for Canada (in 67 appearances). 

    “As a player I love to score, I love to be in the game and find ways to combine, to get my teammates involved. My biggest strength is just finding space and being in the right place at the right time,” David said. 

    Serie A will also be a good fit for the Canadian who is renowned for his high football IQ and on-field intelligence, all of which will be tested in a league that prides itself on tactical acumen over raw athleticism. 

    “I’ve said this a lot about Jonathan, both publicly and internally with us – he’s the smartest player I’ve ever coached. His understanding of what’s happening in the game, and how he needs to move around to find the game in the right way to help the team, is at a really high level, and the team knows that getting him in the match is important for us,” current Canada coach Jesse Marsch said in 2024. 

    David’s move will serve as the ideal preparation ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup that Canada will co-host with the United States and Mexico. Marsch needs his players to be playing regular first-team football, and the more who can do that at the very pinnacle of the European club game, the better chance that Canada has at being a competitive force at next summer’s World Cup. 

    As co-host, Canada automatically qualifies for the World Cup and won’t have to go through the grinding Concacaf qualifying process. That comes with an obvious advantage, but there are also disadvantages to it, as well. With no high-pressure qualifiers to play, Canada will have to content itself with competing in 10 exhibition matches from September to next June. 

    When the Canadian team advanced to the semifinals of last year’s Copa América, it was largely on the back of its solid defensive play and midfield organization – Marsch’s men only scored twice during the group stage and knockout round. 

    Serie A is the ideal environment for David to hone his skills as a goal scorer one year out from playing in the biggest sporting event on the planet. That’s why David’s move to Italy couldn’t have come at a better time for his national team. He will be playing at the very highest level of club football with Juventus, testing himself against some of the best teams in Italy and Europe on a weekly basis.   

    Editor’s note


    John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 25 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer.

    www.sportsnet.ca (Article Sourced Website)

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