Humility and perseverance: this is the recipe for success for Jonathan David, the Ottawa-based Lille striker who is turning heads at European clubs ahead of the 2022 World Cup and making young Canadians dream.

In his former college in the Canadian capital, everyone already knows “the one who managed to play in Europe”.

“Jonathan is there if you want to talk to him,” jokes Joé Fournier, who mentored him during his studies, pointing to a human-sized sign of the Canada forward hanging behind the reception desk.

Underneath the large heated dome that houses the training ground, Jonathan David is everywhere: on the walls with one of his selection jerseys, in the tool shed with the Canada team and on the lips of all the students.

“It’s inspiring to know he’s played here,” said 15-year-old Nathan Aquilina. “That gives hope.”

Born in Brooklyn to Haitian parents, young Jonathan spent his early years in Haiti.

“I remember the house and starting to play football there,” the player, who has very few memories from that time, tells AFP. “I had friends near my house and we always played together, in the garden or on the street. »

“It was the smallest, it was fun to watch,” her older sister Chrissy recalls, laughing.

A few years after moving to Ottawa, Jonathan was also younger than his teammates when he joined Sport-études Football de Louis-Riel.

“But it never bothered him,” says Joé Fournier.

Shy by nature, it was because “Johnny,” as he’s known locally, “revealed his true personality,” confides the program director.

“He always wanted to have the ball, always wanted to play football while eating,” he recalls with a smile on his face. “I had to push him back to class. »

“Becoming a footballer was my goal,” recalls the man now coveted by Europe’s biggest clubs, adding that in his early years with the national team he realized that “it’s possible”.

dream of Europe

Jonathan David owes his nickname “Iceman” not to the harsh Canadian winters, but to his “humble and competitive” character, his lifelong coach Hanny El-Magraby points out.

Surrounded by neighborhood youth whom he continues to coach, Jonathan David’s mentor recalls a “very surefooted and calm” player who “had football in his heart”.

For years he took him from club to club to train when his parents couldn’t. Together they shared the same passion for the sport and that dream of Europe that was “the end goal”, says with humility the one to whom Jonathan David says he owes everything.

On his advice, the Canadian turned down several offers from national clubs as a young player without a professional academy.

“Montreal, Toronto and especially Vancouver were interested,” recalls his agent Nick Mavromaras. But David’s ambition remained Europe.

Despite two unsuccessful attempts in Salzburg and Stuttgart, he “kept his trust”, adds the consultant, who looks forward to these semi-professional years in Canada.

“From the age of 16 he played alongside 25-year-old men who allowed him to develop his physical play,” explains the man who has accompanied him since his youth.

“Hope for all”

The house where Losc’s number 9 grew up is about a fifteen-minute drive from the large domes where he used to train.

In a suburban neighborhood, Jonathan spent most of his free time with his childhood friend, Benaiah Tesfaye.

“We used to ride bikes this way” before we “swim, play basketball or tennis,” says Benaiah Tesfaye, 22.

“If you don’t know him, he’s very intimidating,” adds his friend. “But he’s a lively person who likes to laugh, who likes to have fun. »

When in Ottawa, the Canada international takes the opportunity to help out at his former coach’s football academy, where the neighborhood’s youth await him every year.

“He represents hope for all young Canadians who play football,” said Hanny El-Magraby. “But there is only hope for them if they understand what made Jonathan David successful, which is his mentality, his humility and his temper. »

“Success is everything: there’s talent, work and also luck,” adds the young Canadian, who also notes that “the notion of pleasure is super important”.

“Even if it’s our job, we mustn’t forget why we started playing: because it was a passion,” affirms the one who started on the streets of Haiti to end up in Qatar, where he ended up with “big His adopted country will “proudly” wear the colors of Qatar