It would be easy, as your country’s all-time leading goalscorer and the most sought-after transfer target in Europe for several years, to get a little smug.
Not so much, for 25-year-old Canadian striker Jonathan David, Juventus’ newest addition.
On Friday, the Serie A giants announced that they had reached a five-year agreement with David, and one that will pay him at least $7 million per season, reports suggest. It’s a landmark moment for him, and the latest growth in North Americans finding success in Europe.
Born in New York to Haitian immigrant parents, David grew up in Canada and has since taken on a methodical rise, tackling the stepping-stone Belgian league with KAA Gent before moving to France’s Lille and now making his most significant move.
“Growing up as a kid, I always looked up at a club like Juventus,” he said in his first interview with the club dubbed ‘The Old Lady,’ having finally put an end to a years-long transfer saga. “This is probably one of the top 10 biggest clubs in the world. So, for me, today, to be sitting here? It’s an honor.”
While the last few years have seen him linked to top clubs across Europe’s most significant leagues, Italy’s Serie A became the evident answer. At one point, Napoli, the reigning champions, were frontrunners, before Juventus improved their offer to attract the 5'10 striker.
Now, he is expected to take over starting duties for newly tipped head coach Igor Tudor at one of the world’s biggest clubs and face all the pressure that comes with it, especially at Juventus, which hasn’t won Serie A since 2020 after winning nine straight titles.
The Iceman is Ready for the Spotlight
With a sly smile and soft-spoken nature, David doesn’t get phased by many things.
While there will be questions about how he can adjust to playing for Juventus, you won’t get that feeling from the man himself; it’s why former Canada men’s national team coach John Herdman dubbed him “The Iceman.”
Juventus and David aren’t just any summer union, but a move thought out over several years, waiting for its perfect moment. And if there are any doubts, just look at his celebrations.
Cupped hands to the ear after scoring, David silences the criticism that comes his way, and doesn’t let any of the plaudits get to his head. Whether it’s scoring in Ligue 1 or bagging goals against the best in the UEFA Champions League, he doesn’t care—he just scores.
“I like to think I’m someone that’s always calm,” David said in 2022 to Sharp Magazine. “As a striker, someone who’s relied on to score goals, I think that quality comes in handy. I’m never too eager in a situation, and that extends off the pitch too. I’m pretty quiet in real life; I make my words count.”
The numbers, meanwhile, suggest he is more than ready for a move like this, having scored 109 goals and 30 assists in 232 appearances for Lille, while winning a Ligue 1 title in 2020–21, and also sitting atop Canada’s scoring charts with 36 goals in 67 appearances.
The pressure and scrutiny that come with being at Juventus, though, make Lille, Gent and Canada look minuscule, especially after being seen as a secondary face in Canadian soccer compared to FC Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies, who made his move from Vancouver Whitecaps FC in MLS at 18 years old in 2019.
Yet, with the weight of his upcoming responsibilities, those days are likely behind him. With Juventus’ global support, particularly within Canada’s passionate Italian community, David might just be the new face of Canada heading into next year’s co-hosted FIFA World Cup 2026.
“I want a club with ambition that wants to do something,” David told The Athletic ahead of the Concacaf Gold Cup, with his future still in question. “Obviously, I would love to fight for titles, to win titles. A team that’s competitive, that has ambition, really, with a good sporting project.”
How will David fit at Juventus?
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Joining Juventus comes with layers of excitement, but his exact role with the Italians might still be in question, given his versatility as a hybrid-No.10 and outright No.10. However, with the fees he’s being paid, there’s no doubt he will get every chance to be a key starter, even though the club have also been linked to more traditional strikers in Victor Osimhen and Mateo Retegui.
Should he slide in directly as a striker, he would fit at the top of the 3-4-2-1 which Tudor has taken on since becoming the manager in the spring. Yet, he could also play a role in the attacking midfield, potentially stacking things as a 3-4-1-2, with David playing a free role in transition.
Regardless, though, he’s shown he can adapt to a coach’s demands, and that’s why he’s scored against some of the world’s biggest clubs and thrived under multiple national team head coaches.
“He’s the smartest player I’ve ever coached,” Canada men’s national team head coach Jesse Marsch said of David last year. “And so his understanding of what’s happening in the game and how to move around to find the game in the right way, to help the team, I think, is at a high level.”
How will this affect Canada?
It was just seven years ago that David was playing in Ottawa’s youth soccer scene, before moving to Europe in a move that quickly saw him become Canada’s top attacker.
Through each step, he has evolved within the Canadian landscape as well, and hopes to do so once again in his latest chapter. Now, he has the opportunity to take on those challenges with more pressure, against more competitive teams and better defenders across Serie A.
Coming off a disappointing Gold Cup, it became more clear than ever that the Canadian team needs him to score. Moving to a new league will help him evolve as a striker, offering another tactical aspect when he returns to Canada’s high-tempo approach under Marsch.
The hope will be that he can hit the ground running and get regular minutes and goal contributions through his first season, which leads right into Canada’s first World Cup games on home soil, where he is likely to be the team’s most important player.
A rise like David’s doesn’t happen overnight. It’s been step-by-step, each dutifully planned out, and his most recent move is no doubt the biggest, yet also the one which could come with the most reward to himself, the club and his country at a formative time for each.
“As a player, I love to score... I’m very excited; every step of the way is always a challenge. So, for me, coming to Serie A is also a challenge to adapt to the league, to adapt to my teammates, and to be as successful as possible,” David said.
“I’m just trying to pave the way for other Canadians who are talented to one day be able to do the same things that I am doing right now."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as What Can Juventus and Canada Expect From Jonathan David’s Move to Serie A?.