In Garden of Eden: Jonathan David is waiting for Chelsea as an opponent, and possibly also as the next acquisition

A decade ago, Chelsea signed Eden Hazard from Lille, and this summer the 22-year-old Canadian striker may follow suit.

In the meantime, he has won the championship in France, marching Canada to the World Cup, and making a living in the Champions League.

Tonight he arrives for the first time at Stamford Bridge

Michael Yochin

22/02/2022

Tuesday, February 22, 2022, 2:30 p.m.

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Summary: Crystal Palace - Chelsea 1: 0 (Sports 1)

The founding game in Alfonso Davis' life, in which he consciously turned from a promising youngster into a true star, was in February 2020 at Stamford Bridge, in the last eight of the Champions League.

The Bayern Munich left-back was then the outstanding player on the pitch, shone along the left wing, completely dismantled Chelsea, and even honored cooking for Robert Lewandowski in a 0-3 win.

Exactly two years later, his best friend from the Canadian team arrives in London, again in the last eight of the Champions League, hoping to make a similar leap.

For Jonathan David there is also another huge significance to the visit, as Chelsea are seriously considering paying a huge sum this coming summer to add him to their ranks.

The Lille striker will stand a kind of acceptance test in the most important European game of his career so far.

The scorer scored in all of Lille's consecutive victories at the end of the home leg, against Sevilla, Salzburg and Wolfsburg to allow the French champions to finish sensationally at the top, but his achievements went a bit under the radar.

Now his stage against Romulo Lukaku who has not really connected with the Blues in his second term at the club, and it is easy to understand why Chelsea are staring at him - after all, the reception to Eden Hazard cannot be ignored.

More on Walla!

It is not just Romulo Lukaku's embarrassing negative record that worries Chelsea

To the full article

His parents did everything to arrange a promising future.

David (Photo: Reuters)

Grew up in Haiti and moved to play on snow

The Belgian arrived at Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2012 on the Lille superstar standard, a year after marching it to a historic championship.

David made a critical contribution to the dogs' second championship win against all odds in a decade, and he could do the exact same thing in a decade, in 2022.

Although his style is different, and so is his role on the field, they also have significant similarities - the winemaking, the ostentation, and the ability to dribble in front of opposing players on very small areas.

David learned this skill while training in basketball halls during the Canadian winter.

He also loved to run with the ball in the snow, to which he soon became accustomed after the sharp transition from early childhood in Haiti.

His parents did everything to arrange a promising future for him - they went on a family visit to New York just before he was born in order for him to receive American citizenship, and when he was six they left everything and emigrated to the Ottawa area.

Like most Haitians, his father was an avid football fan, and Jonathan has been addicted to the game since he can remember.

Barcelona was the favorite team, Ronaldinho was the ultimate idol, and the ambition was to travel to Europe as early as possible.

Refused to MLS and came to Europe.

David in Ghent uniform (Photo: Reuters)

Insisted on going to Europe at the age of 17

So the offers from the Canadian teams in MLS just weren’t relevant to him.

Unlike Davis, who began his career at the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy, David rejected her references, and also refused to go to Toronto and Montreal.

The tests in Stuttgart and Salzburg failed, and then his agent focused the matter on Belgium.

Anderlecht and Bruges were not enthusiastic, and in retrospect are very sorry about that.

Ghent's youth coaches also had doubts about the anonymous Canadian, but they gave him a chance, and it was a huge gamble, both professionally and financially.

On his 18th birthday the boy of the first contract signed and declared: "Now the real work begins."

Living away from home at a young age was not easy, but the early experience of migration helped him greatly.

It has a special cultural combination, and it adapts without problems wherever it goes.

Coaches and teammates have always testified to his comfortable and polite nature, and high work ethic.

Along with a certain natural shyness, David is endowed with a particularly high self-confidence.

He goes up to the grass knowing he's going to put the ball in the net.

So was his debut in the Belgian league in August 2018, then came in as a substitute for the final minutes and immediately scored the equalizer.

This was also the case with the national team debut a month later, in which he bombed a duo and did not look back.

The present and future of Canada.

Jonathan David and Alfonso Davis in national team uniform (Photo: GettyImages, Vaughn Ridley)

"Want to change the image of Canadian football"

At first, some argued that he should represent the United States - simply because there was an opportunity to play on a larger team.

David rejected this arbitrary option outright, went with the heart, and it soon became clear that this was the ideal option in all respects.

In 2018 Canada was still perceived as a real slouch in football, but with Davis by his side, and the great English coach John Hardman appointed that year after leaving the women's squad, David saw how reality was changing before his eyes at lightning speed.

Today, Canada is on the safe path to qualifying for the second World Cup in its history, after the bizarre performance in 1986, and it presents quality and eye-catching football.

The importance of the striker's contribution to the phenomenon cannot be overstated.

With 20 goals in 27 games in the national uniform, he is already ranked third in the Canadian Conquerors all-time ranking, and will climb to the top in the coming months.

Add to that 11 cooks, because David is a team player, not really selfish, with good game vision and a very soft touch on the ball - and you get a real lift.

"I want to be remembered as the one who changed the image of Canadian football and made the industry the most popular in the country," he stated, and in conjunction with Davis who is most often placed at the top of the team, they are on the right track.

The stadiums in Canada were full of World Cup qualifiers, and the euphoria knows no bounds.

He also subdued PSG.

David (Photo: Reuters)

Defeated Saint-Germain in Paris

Not every country can be proud of two such young stars born in 2000. And perhaps Davis has garnered most of the titles since breaking into the Bayern squad in 2019, but David has also done wonderful things in his own way.

The debut season in Belgium was good, but the second season was excellent - he was crowned the top scorer and helped Ghent qualify for the Champions League qualifiers.

Reports of the great interest shown by luxury teams in the Premier League have already become widespread, and Chelsea have been mentioned alongside Manchester United and Arsenal.

The Canadian never hid his desire to play in England, but preferred to progress gradually, and Lille was a great option for him at 20. He speaks French as a mother tongue, the club loves to promote youngsters, and the league has suited his size at this stage of his career.

So the dogs paid 30 million euros for him - a club record, and also a record given to any team in Belgium throughout history.

The start to last season was a bit slow, but in the second round the Canadian got into formidable shape at just the right time when Turkish scorer Borak Yilmaz was injured.

The result - 13 goals, all of which without exception led to victories on the way to the incredible championship.

David defeated Marseille 0: 2, celebrated with 0: 1 in this season's game in Paris against Saint-Germain, and finished off in the final round when he put Lille ahead early in Ange to maintain an advantage over the Qataris at the top.

Scored in the championship game.

David (Photo: Reuters)

Real Madrid also in the picture?

Seven of the 13 goals were scored on the right, six on the left.

Absolute control of both legs makes David a particularly versatile striker, and only a head game still needs improvement.

This season he already has 12 conquests in the league - like Killian Ambape.

He is able to play as a classic central striker, but enjoys even more to serve as a second striker to clear areas, move across the field and look for opportunities.

In addition, he is one of the most effective pioneers in Europe in putting pressure on defenders without a ball.

His black labor provider is rare, and he is always willing to chase down opponent players.

Perhaps training in the Canadian snow has contributed to this phenomenal physical endurance.

So now, in the middle of the second season in France, he already feels ripe for the next move, and the experience in the Champions League has contributed a lot to him.

The list of potential buyers is as long as usual, and in Spain there were even reports in December that Real Madrid were considering offering Czar Lil as part of a deal that would bring the Canadian to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Given Ambape's expected arrival, it feels like a duck, but rumors of this kind do good to the value of David signed at his club until 2025. After enjoying him for two years, Lille may make a very handsome coupe on him.

The ambition to play in the Premier League is realistic, and Chelsea may well be a sensible target.

Tonight, in what was once a paradise, he will try to follow in Davis' footsteps and subdue Chelsea.

Then, next season, he is expected to return to Stamford Bridge again - perhaps as an opposing player, and perhaps in the blue shirt.

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