Jonathan David debuts with a goal as Simeone praises him

One of the big positives for Atlético Madrid in Anoeta, against Real Sociedad, was the debut of Jonathan David as a goalscorer in a rojiblanco shirt. In the 89th minute, the scoreboard turned to 0-2 when a swift counterattack left the Canadian to finish with a delicate left-footed, cross-shot that beat Álex Remiro—before the match was sealed 0-3.

A dream start in Anoeta

As Mundo Deportivo reports, the goal also marked his first in the league with his new club. From that moment, David shifted his focus to the endgame he’s openly described: making the move to Madrid permanent.

There’s also a clear financial condition attached to the operation. As he said during his presentation, Atlético will only trigger the purchase for €25 million if the goals are backed up over the course of the season.

Simeone’s praise

On the pitch, Diego Pablo Simeone made sure the message came through. He highlighted the minutes David played and explained the decision not to start: “A Jonathan le dije que no empezaba el partido porque habían jugado más juntos Lookman y Kang-in, pero le dije que en el transcurso del partido le íbamos a necesitar”.

Simeone also pointed to the value of a forward’s positioning and stressed that David came on “very well”, bringing depth, showing “incredible calm” when it was time to define. Mundo Deportivo adds that David has followed a strict preparation plan to reproduce the output that helped him in Lille, where he scored 109 goals across five seasons.