Jonathan David, the only goal scorer last night against Salzburg (1-0), is off to a great start to the season with LOSC. Here’s a look at his performances.
Credit: DR
Jonathan David praised by Jocelyn Gourvennec
Top scorer in Ligue 1. 10 goals in 14 matches. 12 goals in all competitions. 21 goals in the league in 2021. At 21, Jonathan David is surprising everyone and reaching new heights: “I’m really enjoying it personally, but for me the most important thing is always to win. If my goals can help the team, I’m happy because I’m a striker,” said the Brooklyn native at a press conference last night.
Modesty is not his only quality, as Lille coach Jocelyn Gourvennec told Bein Sports: “He’s an incredible player with an incredible mentality. He’s still very young, but he’s someone who works hard every day and also works hard for the team. He has the ability to be very intense, to run a lot too, he has great stamina and then he has incredible composure in the box. He serves the team well. He’s both a very talented individual player and, above all, a team player.”
A multicultural man
Praise for the reigning French champion, born on 14 January 2000, who started playing football at the age of 10 in Canada, specifically in Ottawa. His family used Canadian moving companies to relocate to this city after living in Port-au-Prince for six years, Haiti, three months after Jonathan was born in the United States. He had a somewhat turbulent childhood in North and Central America, but his professional career took off in Europe. He has been with LOSC since 2020, after spending two seasons with La Gantoise in Belgium, where the Canadian international finished as runner-up and joint top scorer with 18 goals. Jean-Michel Vandamme, general manager of the Lille team, said: “I’ve known him well since his time in Belgium.
He’s a phenomenal player. He’s a serious, dedicated and professional young man. He adapts easily to a group and speaks several languages. On the pitch, he’s intelligent, has exceptional movement and is effective in front of goal. That’s a lot.” The future looks bright for the most expensive signing in LOSC’s history (€27 million), who has obviously caught the eye of several clubs such as PSG and Inter Milan. Not to mention one goal: to try to qualify his country for the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 for the second time in its history after 1986.
Anissa HOUARI
