Soccer has already taken Promise David to Croatia, the United States, Malta, Estonia and Belgium. And the 23-year-old forward from Brampton, Ont., could be on the move again during the summer transfer window.
There have been bumps along the way for David, who usually goes by Tobi (his full name is Promise Oluwatobi Emmanuel David Akinpelu).
“I call it a journey though hell,” David said with a smile. “I’m just trying to better myself as a football player and reach higher levels. But, yeah, from each place, I took a piece of football and added it to myself. And I think that’s created the Tobi that’s here today.”
For the time being, he is happy to be with Union Saint-Gilloise, which won its first Belgian league title in 90 years last month.
“Best football I’ve ever played in my life,” David said of Belgium. “I really take in every moment, because it might not last.”
While David is under contract to Union Saint-Gilloise, his goal-scoring exploits have attracted attention ahead of the June 15 opening of the transfer window. He recorded 24 goals in all competitions this season with eight of those coming in the 10-game championship round (the top six Belgian sides meet in a mini-league to decide the title).
David is currently with Canada in Halifax, preparing for the inaugural four-team Canadian Shield Tournament in Toronto. The 30th-ranked Canadians open Saturday against No. 25 Ukraine before facing No. 41 Ivory Coast on Tuesday.
David expects a large contingent of friends and family at BMO Field, noting they haven’t seen him play live since high school
“I think I bought tickets for the entire stadium,” he said.
Born in Brampton to Nigerian parents, David made his debut for the Nigerian under-23 side in October 2022. But in February, after talks with Canada coach Jesse Marsch, his request to switch allegiance was approved by FIFA.
David started at the Toronto FC pre-academy, spending two or three years there before he was let go at 14. He found a new home with Vaughan SC where he excelled despite still growing into an imposing body that now measures six foot four and 209 pounds.
“He almost looked clumsy when he ran. But he had a nose for goal,” said Anthony Vadori, Vaughan’s director of men’s high performance. “He always found himself in front of goal with an opportunity to shoot.”
He also played with a smile on his face.
“You could tell he loved to play … he wanted to learn so much, which was nice.” said Vadori.
After high school, David elected to go pro rather than the U.S. college route — he only got one partial scholarship offer, from Appalachian State — after negotiating a deadline with his parents to make it in soccer.
“I asked for six months. And then six months turned into a year and a half. And that year and a half turned into two years. Two years turned in three. And then after three, I think they kind of realized I don’t want to go to school.”
After attending a tryout camp held by a Croatian second-division team in suburban Oakville in 2019, he found himself in Croatia two weeks later. That led to a move to third-division NK Trnje Zagreb where he played in the under-19 league against youth sides from top teams.
“I was just exploring and discovering the world of football and other cultures,” he said.
It was not all fun, dealing with the language barrier and some racism.
In 2021, he returned to North America to join FC Tulsa of the USL Championship where he played against older, more experienced players.
“It forced me to grow, forced me to hit the gym. Forced me to understand how my body works and how to run at people, how to hit people, how to take hits,” he said.
The next year he went to Malta where he was initially assigned to the under-19 team at Valetta FC but was quickly promoted to the senior side. After the team survived relegation, he switched clubs and hit a roadblock at Sirens FC, where he didn’t play.
“It was horrible. But that’s football,” he said.
In early 2023, he joined Estonia’s Kalju FC where It took a coaching chance for him to get his chance with the senior side. He started scoring, which triggered the move to Belgium last July.
For David, ignorance is bliss right now when it comes to a possible transfer.
“Anything’s possible,” he said. “I just hope they don’t tell me anything until it’s ready to sign.”
“You can crack your brain thinking about it,” he added.
He could stay where he is. European cup football awaits and David has grown to love Union’s fans as well as his teammates and coach.
He is an avid Chelsea fan — and devotee of club legend Didier Drogba.
“it wasn’t really the goal-scoring that got me, it was the playmaking ability and just the sheer strength and the problems (he presented) for defenders,” he said.
While going to a Chelsea game has long been on his bucket list, there is a caveat.
“I kind of told myself I would not go to Chelsea unless I get to play there first — like against them,” he said. “I told myself that a couple of years ago.”
David is hoping the Champions League draw might lead to London’s Stamford Bridge. And with teams like England’s Brighton & Hove Albion and Germany’s Stuttgart interested in him, bigger stages await.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 3, 2025
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
