Ottawa soccer star heading to second World Cup

Jonathan David spent his Ottawa high school years barely leaving the training dome. His coaches had to kick him out to attend class.

"If it wouldn't have been for us kicking him out of the dome, I'm not sure he would have gone to his classes," said Joé Fournier, program director of the Louis Riel Soccer Academy. "He would take as much time as possible to play soccer."

Born in Brooklyn to Haitian parents, David moved to Ottawa when he was six. He started playing for the Gloucester Dragons at ten, joined the Ottawa Gloucester SC Hornets at eleven, and represented Canada at the under-17 level with the Ottawa Internationals Soccer Club. His obsession with the sport was total.

At the Louis Riel sports study program in high school, David trained during adapted gym classes alongside Olympic champion Vanessa Gilles. His goal was always Europe. A 2017 trial with KAA Gent in Belgium led to a full-time spot with the club's second team. He signed his first professional contract in January 2018, at 18.

A move to Lille in August 2020 — reported at 30 million euros — cemented his trajectory. Last summer, he signed a five-year contract with Italian club Juventus.

Now he's Canada's all-time men's leading scorer, and he's heading to his second World Cup. Canada kicks off Friday in Toronto against Bosnia-Herzegovina. Thirteen players on the roster, including David, represented Canada at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

From a kid who wouldn't leave the training dome to one of the country's biggest soccer stars — that's an Ottawa story.