HIGH ACHIEVERS: Jonathan David leaving Lille after remarkable five-year career

By Martin Cleary

Gloucester’s Jonathan David, one of the world’s premier strikers, will be playing for a new soccer club next season.

The two-time Canada Soccer male player of the year announced Wednesday he will leave Lille OSC of France’s Ligue 1 when his contract expires June 30. He will become a free agent July 1.

That immediately prompted the question: What team jersey will he wear for the 2025-26 season?

There are multiple teams in Europe and in the English Premier League who have been following David’s remarkable progress over the past several years and some have already forwarded him formal offers for the 2025-26 season.

David made his major career announcement in an Instagram posting:

“I wanted you to hear from me. After five years at the club, it’s time to say goodbye. I spent five amazing years in Lille. I know it hasn’t been the easiest, but I hope that my goals and celebrations have brought you guys some joy and happiness. It has been a long and fun ride,” he said.

Lille’s loss of a player who scored 109 goals and added 30 assists in 231 total games for Les Dogues will be a major gain for the next team that offers David, 25, the best all-around contract. And there will be many options to consider over the next few months.

Sportswriter Olivier Neven of GiveMeSport presented a list of his five clubs that would be in the running to secure David’s signature on a contract (in order from one to five): Arsenal, FC Barcelona, Napoli, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain.

Barcelona would be a logical choice because the legendary Spanish team has been a big part of David’s soccer dream for many years.

“Barcelona was always the team I grew up supporting,” David once told The Athletic. “When you grow up supporting a team, it’s your dream to play for them.”

Robert Lewandowski plays the key striker role for Barcelona, having scored 40 goals in 49 games this season. But as he reaches 37 years old in August, the club might be looking for a younger, long-term replacement.

Napoli, which has been a surprising performer in Italy’s Serie A this season through its gritty play and is on the verge of a second league title in three years, is in need of a striker to round out its overall game plan.

It has been reported Napoli has already given David a formal offer through his agent at Axia Sports Management.

David also has spoken highly about the quality of play in the Premier League and may sign with one of the top English clubs.

Arsenal might be the Premier League frontrunner to attract David as it strives to improve its scoring and energize its offensive attack.

In the past, David has called the Premier League “one of the best leagues in the world.”

“And, for me, it’s not Premier League or bust,” he said. “I’m open to anything, and every league has its challenges.”

Newcastle, which is in third place in the Premier League, and Manchester United also have created files on David.

In mid January, the Newcastle Magpies sent a delegation to France to watch David play against Nice.

Manchester United is coming out of one of their worst domestic seasons in many years – 16th place in the Premier League at 10 wins, nine draws and 17 losses for 39 points and the fifth worst goal production at 42. The addition of David could kick start the Red Devils on offence and bring them up the standings.

David also could choose to stay in Ligue 1 and play with Paris Saint-Germain, a dominant franchise which has won 11 of the last 13 league titles, including the last four in a row. Lille won the 2021 Ligue 1 crown during David’s first season before Paris Saint-Germain went on its recent run.

According to Neven, Paris Saint-Germain has many quality players, but a proven striker would be a welcome addition to their offensive attack.

During his five years with Lille, David was the club’s leading goal scorer for each of the past four years. Lille finished in fifth place in Ligue 1 this season at 16-9-8, while league champion Paris Saint-Germain was 25-6-2.

David scored 16 goals and added five assists for Lille during its Ligue 1 season. He also had four yellow cards, but no red cards. For his full season, which included UEFA Champions, French Cup, Trophee des Champions and Europa League games, he counted 25 goals and 12 assists in 48 games. When it came to penalty kicks, he was a perfect nine for nine.

In the past five years, he helped Lille win the Trophee des Champions title in 2021 and the Ligue 1 pennant for 2020-21. While playing for the Canadian men’s team, he celebrated the 2022 CONCACAF championship as part of the final round of FIFA World Cup qualifiers and was a silver medallist in the CONCACAF 2022-23 Nations League.

David has been a key member of the national men’s team since 2018, recording 32 goals and 16 assists in 61 appearances, which included 52 starts. He also played for Canada at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.