With FC Bayern Munich’s 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain Aug. 23, Alphonso Davies became the first Canadian men's soccer player to win the UEFA Champions League – the highest level of competition for European soccer clubs. It’s a tremendous accomplishment that ranks among the most odds-defying achievements for a Canadian athlete, along with Penny Oleksiak’s four medals at the 2016 Olympics, Bianca Andreescu's U.S. Open victory in 2019 or Donovan Bailey's two gold medals at the 1996 Olympics.
Davies’ meteoric rise to soccer stardom in the last few years has been amazing to watch. Only 19 years old, his phenomenal season with Bayern led to him being one of the most talked-about players in European soccer this year. The fact he is from our country – a soccer minnow – is surreal.
Despite his youth, Davies’ story is already worthy of a Hollywood film. Born in a refugee camp in Ghana, he and his family immigrated to Canada when he was just five years old. Growing up in Edmonton, he excelled at soccer and was discovered by the Vancouver Whitecaps of Major League Soccer (MLS) when he was 14.
By playing his first professional game at the age of 15, Davies became the Whitecaps’ youngest player ever, and the second-youngest debutant in MLS history. By the age of 16, he was already scoring goals for the Whitecaps, as well as the Canadian men’s national team.
To be frank, Canada Soccer was lucky a player as promising as Davies opted to play for Canada, rather than Ghana – a country that usually qualifies for the FIFA World Cup as one of Africa’s strongest teams. Davies took a gamble by choosing to don the maple leaf, but he clearly feels a sense of pride for the country that accepted him and his family.
Davies’ skill level in his first few seasons in MLS – despite often being the youngest player on the pitch – caught the eye of scouts from Bayern Munich, and he was transferred to the German Bundesliga club for a fee of $22 million USD in 2018. I was excited to see this, of course, as Bayern is my favourite team.
Moving from MLS to one of the biggest clubs in world soccer would surely be daunting, but Davies has excelled. After spending much of his first season with Bayern as a bit-part player, he had a breakthrough season in 2019-20, becoming the team’s main left-sided defender. His play was so good that he was named the Bundesliga's rookie of the season, and he was offered a contract extension in the spring.
His performance this year has led to abundant international attention and praise. Now, he has a Champions League medal to show for it.
Scott Strasser, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @scottstrasser19
