Haitian prodigy fulfills Canada's 40-year dream of first World Cup victory

Written by Shen Mo In the second round of the World Cup group stage, Canada vs. Qatar, Jonathan David scored a rebound goal in the 2nd minute of stoppage time, completing a hat-trick. The 52,000 fans at Vancouver Stadium erupted in celebration. This Haitian prodigy, who holds the Canadian transfer fee record, became a dual golden boot winner for both Canada's history and the World Cup, fulfilling the dream he had as a child at a French-language school in Ottawa.

Before this match, the 26-year-old Jonathan was already Canada's all-time top scorer, leading second-place Larin by nine goals. As one of "Canada's Twin Stars" alongside Alphonso Davies, he urgently needed to prove himself with a World Cup goal. Four years ago, he failed to score in three group matches in Qatar, and Canada was embarrassingly eliminated with three consecutive losses, putting him under immense public pressure. This time, playing at home, Jonathan silenced his critics.

At the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Canada defeated Cuba 7-0, their biggest victory in a major tournament to date, during which Jonathan David scored his first hat-trick at the senior level. Seven years later, he delivered another hat-trick at the World Cup, setting new records for both Canada and CONCACAF teams for the biggest World Cup win. Moreover, this was Canada's first victory in eight matches across their three World Cup appearances (1986, 2022, 2026), a milestone worthy of the history of Canadian and CONCACAF football.

In the 16th minute, Jonathan David took a shot, the Qatar goalkeeper fumbled the ball, and teammate Larin scored on the rebound, finding the net for the second consecutive World Cup match. Fourteen minutes later, Canada's Haitian prodigy began his "show": he scored his first World Cup goal with a volley from the right side of the box. In the 3rd minute of first-half stoppage time, Larin's shot was saved, and Jonathan scored a second goal on the rebound. In the 2nd minute of second-half stoppage time, he scored again on a rebound, sealing Canada's 6-0 victory and completing his first World Cup hat-trick.

This was Jonathan David's third hat-trick for Canada and the ninth in the national team's century-long history. He became the second CONCACAF player to score a World Cup hat-trick, after Bert Patenaude of the United States in 1930. He also became the second host-nation player to achieve a World Cup hat-trick, following Geoff Hurst of England in the 1966 final.

Jonathan David's parents are Puerto Ricans living in Haiti; his father was a bank accountant and his mother a homemaker. In 2000, his parents traveled to New York to visit relatives, and his mother gave birth prematurely. As a result, he acquired U.S. citizenship, but his parents had no intention of staying in the U.S. and returned to Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital, three months later. When he was six, the family immigrated to Ottawa, Canada's capital, where he attended Louis-Riel French-language public school, and his football journey began there.

His father, Jean David, was his first coach, and Jonathan chose the No. 30 jersey at Juventus to honor him. His mother, Rose, passed away from cancer in December 2019. Since then, Jonathan has often held a single pink rose after scoring, as a tribute to her memory.

As a teenager, Jonathan sometimes lost his way, wanting only to play football video games with friends and enjoy himself, but a strict coach named Maghrabi brought him back on track.

As a child, Jonathan was obsessed with Brazilian superstar Ronaldinho's skills and dreamed only of playing in Europe. Before joining Belgian club Gent at age 18, he had trials at Red Bull Salzburg and Stuttgart, but both failed. Watching this match, perhaps those two clubs known for nurturing young talents regret their decisions.

In 2020, Jonathan David joined French club Lille for €30 million, breaking Alphonso Davies' (€14 million) Canadian transfer record. After his contract expired last summer, he joined Juventus on a free transfer. With this hat-trick, if he transfers again, he could once again break his own Canadian transfer record. Last year, he already attracted attention from top clubs like Manchester United and Arsenal.

Jonathan David is known for his calmness, described by former Canada coach Herdman as an "Iceman." He dislikes being in the spotlight and hopes to leave the stadium without speaking after a match.

David takes pride in his Haitian heritage and often emphasizes that he is first and foremost a Haitian who loves Haitian culture. He is equally proud to represent Canada rather than the United States, because Canada gave him a stable life and the foundation for his football career.

In September 2024, Jonathan scored and assisted in Kansas City, helping Canada defeat the United States on the road for the first time in 57 years. "Beating a rival with a great performance is wonderful for anyone," he said after the match.

As for this World Cup, David hopes to help Canada go further, at least farther than the United States. "We hope the World Cup can change the status of football in Canada," he said.