Brighton's summer signing Promise David has gone from playing in Estonia's little-watched top division to becoming a Canada World Cup goalscorer and Premier League forward in the space of a few years, a rise that has stunned even those who coached him from the start. His loan move from Royale Union Saint-Gilloise to Brighton, if made permanent, could become the second-most expensive transfer involving a Canadian player, underlining how far he has travelled from being cut by his hometown club's academy as a teenager.

David, born Promise Oluwatobi Emmanuel David Akinpelu, was dropped by Toronto FC's academy at 15, overlooked by US college scouts bar a partial scholarship offer, and bounced between Croatia's third tier, USL side FC Tulsa, Maltese club Valletta and Estonia's Nomme Kalju before establishing himself. At Valletta, aged 21, he scored in his third and fourth appearances and helped the club reach the Maltese FA Trophy final. This summer he became only the fifth Canadian to score at a men's World Cup, with another appearance likely in 2030, and his transfer could be valued close to the $34m paid for namesake Jonathan David's move from Gent to Lille in 2020.