David's stocks continue to rise astronomically after his FIFA World Cup hat-trick at home to Qatar in Vancouver helped prompt a season-long loan move from Juventus to Spanish giants Atletico Madrid, where he has scored in all three LaLiga appearances to date.
With his goals in Atletico's trio of victories over Real Sociedad (3-0), Osasuna (4-0) and Real Madrid (2-1), David has already matched half of his goalscoring output from a disappointingly quiet campaign at Juventus last season, where he found the back of the net only eight times in 46 competitive appearances, two of them in UEFA Champions League wins over Pafos and Bodo/Glimt.
David extended his sparkling form into the international break by scoring his 43rd international goal and his fifth as stand-in Canada captain as they extended their unbeaten streak in friendlies to nine matches (W4, D5).
Speaking to reporters at the headquarters of Major League Soccer club CF Montreal, where rank no. 30 Canada are preparing to face Peru on Saturday night local time at Montreal's Saputo Stadium, David could not quite explain the reason for his sudden discovery of personal success.
"Maybe it’s a breath of fresh air,” David answered. “Maybe it helps that it’s a bit of a change of environment.”
Canada's all-time leading goalscorer said he immediately "clicked" with his new teammates in Majadahonda, paying tribute to the service offered by the likes of Giuliano Simeone and Alejandro Grimaldo.
“I play with a lot of players that have that quality to find the last pass," he added. "They make it pretty simple for me, to be honest. All I have to do is finish.”
Canada head coach Jesse Marsch revealed that he played a role in David's deadline day move via sister club Atletico Ottawa.
"I know (Atletico head coach Diego) Simeone from playing against him, from watching him over the years, and (I said to him) if you want an attacking player that can score goals, have a lot of quality, and also work for the team and give everything he has to the team, I can’t think of a better striker than Jonathan David,” Marsch said.
David demonstrated the selflessness of which Marsch speaks during Atletico's 4-0 thumping of Osasuna, when toe-poking the ball from the edge of the box to teammate Lee Kang-in instead of opting for a shot from almost directly in front.
Aaron Murphy has been with Flashscore since 2018 and, as the founding editor of the Australian newsdesk, has reported on-site at several major events in Melbourne including the Australian Open, State of Origin, A-League, NBL and international cricket. You can read his pieces here and contact him on X or LinkedIn.
