Alphonso Davies was born on November 2, 2000. He won the UEFA Champions League aged just 19 with Germany’s biggest football club, which happens to be one of the world’s biggest clubs – Bayern Munich.
(Photo: Sven Mendel, CC BY-SA 4.0)
Not only was he a part of the squad, but the 19-year-old also started the final and was an integral member as Bayern Munich went on to win the Treble once again, this time, under coach Hansi Flick. Davies represents Canada at the international level and is known to be one of the best young players in world football.
It was a difficult childhood that Davies had to overcome. He was born to Liberian parents in Ghana’s Buduburam refugee camp. His parents fled Monrovia during the Second Liberian Civil War and finally moved to Canada when Alphonso was five. Davies had problems with language as well as a child as he barely spoke English. After getting Canadian citizenship in 2017, there has been no looking back for the former Liberian national.
Davies signed for the Vancouver Whitecaps first-team squad in 2016, aged just 15 at the time! His contract was valid till 2018, with options to re-sign for 2019 and 2020. The Whitecaps are a big team in Major League Soccer – North America’s premier “soccer” (football) tournament. He was the youngest player in the MLS at the time and the third youngest to have signed a professional contract. He made his debut in July 2016, a day after he signed his professional contract, becoming the second-youngest to ever play in the MLS. After consistently performing for the Whitecaps, Davies was scouted by some of the biggest clubs in Europe including Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea. He was also named in the top 60 young players of the world in 2017.
Davies continued his hot run of form, which earned him a spot on the MLS All-Star team. He was awarded the Vancouver Whitecaps Player of the Year for his outstanding season in 2018. After the MLS All-Star game, Bayern Munich swooped in and completed a deal to sign the Canadian youngster. Alphonso joined the German giants in January 2019. At 18 years old, Davies became the youngest to score for Bayern since Roque Santa Cruz. He also became the first Canadian to ever score for them. Davies ended up winning the German domestic double in his first season at Munich itself as they won the Bundesliga title ahead of Borussia Dortmund and the DFB-Pokal against RB Leipzig in the final, even though he did not feature in that game.
Alphonso Davies is known for his tremendous speed and stamina. He is a great dribbler and causes problems on the left flank. Originally a winger, Davies has embraced the role given to him by Bayern at left-back. He has made that position his own and is one of the best in the world in that role. His versatility to play out of position speaks volumes of his ability. Not to forget that he still has at least 13 years of football left at the highest level.
He was instrumental in Bayern’s success in the 2019/20 season as Munich went on to win the famed treble, winning the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal once again, and to top it off, with a victory of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe’s Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League final for a 6th time in the club’s history.
Bayern Munich won the Champions League with a 100% record. They won every single game they played in the 2019/20 season in Europe’s top competition and Davies was heavily involved. His performance against Barcelona in the quarterfinals was one for the ages as they dismantled the Catalans 8-2!
Being Ghanaian born and of Liberian descent, Davies is eligible to play for either of the two countries, but he chose to play for Canada, where he was brought up. He made his debut for the national team when he was just 16, making him the youngest ever to play for Canada. He then became the youngest goalscorer in Gold Cup history. Alphonso Davies went on to win the Golden Boot and Young Player of the Tournament. He also was named in the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup squad. He was also instrumental in orchestrating Canada’s first win against the United States of America in 34 years at the CONCACAF Nations League.
Alphonso Davies has already won everything there is to win from a team accolades perspective, with Bayern Munich. It will be interesting to see his development going forward and where it takes him in world football. One thing is for sure however, Alphonso Davies is here to stay and is en route to achieving greatness with all that abundance of talent he has in him.
