Canadian FIFA World Cup star leaves Juventus for prestigious club in Spain
Jonathan David is the latest member of Canada’s FIFA World Cup roster to join a new club in Europe.
As first reported by soccer insider Fabrizio Romano on Monday, David is set to join Atletico Madrid from Juventus on a season-long loan. The deal will also have a €25 million (C$40.2 million) non-mandatory buy option once the loan is complete in June of 2027.
🚨🔴⚪️ BREAKING: Jonathan David to Atlético Madrid, here we go! Verbal agreement done with Juventus.
Initial loan deal with buy option clause for the Canadian striker who’s set to join Atléti as exclusively revealed last week.
Atléti will cover more than 50% of the salary. pic.twitter.com/6h9G99uuR3
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 31, 2026
The 26-year-old striker joined Juventus ahead of the 2025-26 season, but struggled to adapt to his new team. In 46 games across all competitions, he managed to score just eight goals. He scored just one goal in his final 13 appearances in Serie A.
David’s stint with Juventus followed five years starring in France with Ligue 1 club Lille.
Canada’s top striker scored a rare FIFA World Cup hat trick against Qatar earlier this year, but didn’t score in any of the other four matches he played in the tournament.
With this transfer, David joins three of his Canadian men’s national team teammates in Tajon Buchanan, Nathan Saliba, and Tani Oluwaseyi in Spain’s top league. The other three all play for Villarreal.
A number of Canadian men’s players have changed teams recently, with Promise David, Kyle Larin, Stephen Eustáquio, and Jayden Nelson all recently moving to clubs in England. There are now a record number of Canadians playing in England’s Premier League, with 14 Canadians now playing on clubs in Europe’s “big five” leagues.
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