Canada's Jonathan David brings the ball forward during International friendly action against Chile, in Toronto, on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

MONTREAL — Jonathan David can’t put his finger on exactly why he’s off to a flying start at Atlético Madrid.

“Maybe it’s a breath of fresh air,” he suggested. “Maybe it helps that it’s a bit of a change of environment.”

One thing’s certain -- the Canadian striker has found new life since joining the Spanish giants on a season-long, deadline-day loan, regaining his scoring form and confidence after a difficult debut season with Italy’s Juventus.

David has three goals and one assist in three league games under manager Diego Simeone, including the game-winner in Atlético’s 2-1 derby victory over juggernaut Real Madrid on Sept. 20.

The 26-year-old from Ottawa has carried that confidence into the international break, scoring in Canada’s 1-0 friendly win over Chile last Saturday in Toronto to open a new four-year World Cup cycle.

That goal lifted his men’s national team record total to 43 goals — a number he could add to Saturday afternoon when Canada, ranked 30th, hosts No. 50 Peru at Montreal’s Stade Saputo.

“It just clicked, really,” the soft-spoken David said of his Atlético success Thursday before a group of French- and English-speaking reporters at CF Montréal’s training centre. “I play with a lot of players that have that quality to find the last pass. They make it pretty simple for me, to be honest. All I have to do is finish.”

Although David said he has no regrets about his move to Italy, finishing was proving to be a problem with Juventus. He tallied just eight goals across 46 contests last season — this after scoring 109 in 232 appearances over five seasons with French side Lille.

David wasn’t at his best at this past summer’s World Cup either, scoring all three of his goals in a group-stage rout of Qatar in Canada’s run to the round of 16.

Canada coach Jesse Marsch said he made a sales pitch to both Atlético Madrid and its affiliate Atlético Ottawa of the Canadian Premier League to help facilitate a change of scenery during the summer transfer window.

“I just said, look, I know Simeone from playing against him, from watching him over the years, and if you want an attacking player that can score goals and 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 this week.

“He's fit in seamlessly, so that part’s been great. We all know how good he is, so it's good to see him have a good start.”

Canadian wingback/defensive midfielder Niko Sigur believes a fresh start was all David needed to reignite his goal-scoring form.

“It was only a matter of time until he found his feet because he's got too much quality to go too long without scoring goals,” Sigur said. “He probably just breathed some fresh air, found his feet again, probably some nice support from the club.

“From what I've seen it's been really good and hopefully he can continue that for us as well.”

Atlético has the option to acquire David permanently from Juventus for 25 million euros (about C$40 million) at the end of the season.

SIGUR’S MOVE

Sigur, a 23-year-old from Burnaby, B.C., made his own transfer deadline-day move this summer, joining top-flight French side Toulouse on a $6.5 million transfer from Croatia’s Hajduk Split.

"I think it was time, it was both from the club and myself that we were looking for a solution,” Sigur said. “I wanted to make a step up in my career and also to be able to help my club financially which was satisfying to both parties.”

SIZING UP PERU

Canada will face Peru for a fourth time, having won two previous meetings and losing the other. Canada prevailed 1-0 over Peru last time out at the 2024 Copa América.

The men’s national team will honour longtime central midfielder Samuel Piette, who was called into camp for the first time since June 2024, before kickoff on Saturday.

"He's always been a leader. As soon as I arrived, he was always a good player too,” David said. “I’ve really enjoyed playing with him because he's a player who likes possession, who likes to play forward, who likes combinations. That's also my style of play.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 1, 2026.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2026