What does playing in
a World Cup mean to you
?
Jonathan David:
It's a source of great pride, especially since it's been 36 years since we qualified.
I don't know how I'm going to feel, but it's bound to be special.
We must not let ourselves be overwhelmed by emotions, we must take advantage of the moment but remain focused on the objective.
To discover
World Cup: group classification
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Did you feel a stronger enthusiasm in Canada with your qualification for this World Cup?
The last months of the qualifying campaign, we felt that the country was beginning to understand what we were achieving.
The stadiums were always full, there was enthusiasm and even more since we qualified for the World Cup.
It's great for Canadian football.
When you signed for Belgian club La Gantoise at the age of 18, in 2018, did you think you could reach this high?
I had no idea where I could end up.
I told myself to do everything to go as high as possible, without setting myself a limit but without putting pressure on myself.
Living in the present moment is important, we always tend to think too much about the future.
The notion of pleasure is super important because even if it's our job, we mustn't forget why we started playing: because it was a passion.
In transition we are very strong with fast players and everyone can score.
jonathan david
What is the atmosphere in this Canadian team?
Everyone gets along very well in the team, everyone is close and on the pitch, of course, it shows.
We can say things to each other openly and that allows the team to progress.
It's always a pleasure to come back to play in the selection because we know that it will only be happiness, we have a lot of fun together, it's like a family.
What is Canada's main strength?
Our primary strength is the collective.
Everyone gives their all.
In transition we are very strong with fast players and everyone can score.
Two years ago, no one would have bet on Canada qualifying. What was the trigger for this epic?
This beautiful journey began in 2018, when the coach (Englishman John Herdman, editor's note) took over the team.
His arrival changed a lot of things.
The players all told me: with this coach it's different.
He really bonded the team.
We have very good players, a very good generation.
Good players want to be part of that and some choose to play for Canada.
By finishing first in the qualifying phase, we sent a strong message, we said: We are here too.
The years before, we were far away but here we are coming in force.
I think the best is yet to come.
Do you think you can create a surprise in your group which is very tough?
It's a first time for us, our group is made up of nations with a lot more experience than us (Belgium, Croatia and Morocco, editor's note) so we mustn't get carried away by the moment, but it's still a game of soccer.
We played and we won a lot to get there so we will have to take advantage of the moment.
It will be very difficult to qualify for the round of 16, but there is something to play for, anything is possible.
We don't tell ourselves that we are going there just to play three matches.
We will give our all and we can get out of the group.
World Cup: who are the top scorers in the history of the Blues?
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