Record scorer in 21st century
Jonathan David continues to write history for Lille in Ligue 1. On Friday, the Canadian striker scored a hattrick in the 3-3 draw against Olympique Lyon. It was goal eight, nine, and ten in 2023 for the 23-year-old striker. David now leads all players in the top 5 leagues with ten goals scored in ten league games—Napoli’s Victor Osimhen has also scored ten but in 11 games (overview)
The strike rate of the 23-year-old has indeed been impressive. David has scored a goal every 85 minutes in 2023. Altogether, the Lille forward has now scored 19 goals and four assists in 26 Ligue 1 games—the same amount as PSG star Kylian Mbappé (in 23 games). Without a doubt, both players have been impactful for their respective sides. But while Mbappé has participated in 34% of PSG’s goals, David has carried Lille on his shoulders, participating in 47% of all his club’s goals this season.
David’s since joining Lille has in fact been impressive. The Canadian has scored 53 goals in 125 games across all competitions. David has, therefore, surpassed Eden Hazard as the club’s top goalscorer in the 21st century. “I’ve admired Eden Hazard for a long time; to break his record is a bit surreal for me,” David said to Fabrizio Romano after his hattrick against OL. “I am thankful to my teammates, the supporters, and our coaching staff for support and encouragement.” Either way, there is no doubt that David, who is the second most valuable Canadian on the planet has been in spectacular form.
Jonathan David 2nd – The most valuable CanMNT players
Jonathan David: Watched “Premier League and LaLiga” – Leipzig interested?
The Canadian’s impressive goalscoring record in 2023 has also rekindled speculations about David’s future. A potential move to the Premier League appeared to have gone cold last winter, but the truth is also that Lille was never interested in a transfer. Transfermarkt understands that there have been offers, and one club is willing to pay €50m next summer to land David.
That club could be RB Leipzig. Transfermarkt understands that sporting director Max Eberl sees David as a perfect replacement for Christopher Nkunku. Nkunku is set to leave Leipzig and join Chelsea next summer in a deal worth around €70m. That fee would be enough to cover the David transfer.
Player Comparison
€45.00m
Market Value
€80.00m
Centre-Forward
Position
Second Striker
Jun 30, 2025
Contract until
Jun 30, 2026
Full Player Comparison
But would David be interested in joining the Bundesliga side? “The furthest I can see for the moment is the next game and helping Lille get back into the top four,” David said about his future to Romano. “Saturday mornings growing up in Canada were about the Premier League and LaLiga.” There is no doubt should David keep scoring, Leipzig will be just one of many clubs from a top 4 league trying to sign the Canadian.
Homepage