Success of magical rookie campaign still hasn’t sunk in for Canada’s Davies
After scoring fame with Bayern Munich, teen sensation gearing up for new season
Alphonso Davies is still processing a magical year with FC Bayern Munich while preparing for a new season.
Just weeks after capping off his first full German Bundesliga campaign with a UEFA Champions League title, the Edmonton product is back to work, preparing for the 2020-21 season.
Bayern begins defence of its German league, German Cup and European championship titles next Friday when it hosts FC Schalke 04 in the first game of the season.
“When I first came to Germany, it was a learning experience for me, I knew the quality players they had on this team,” Davies said Friday.
“Being able to play regularly, I was just trying prove myself and show that I’m able to play at this level. Me winning the league, me winning the Pokal (German
Cup) and then the Champions League, it’s an amazing feeling for me being so young and doing it so early in my career. Has it sunk in? I would say not yet, but it’s definitely getting there. I still can’t believe all this is happening.”
Davies, 19, rocketed to superstardom this past season, which was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
He was named the Bundesliga rookie of the year, posted the fastest sprint time ever recorded in a German league game, got the better of his idol Lionel Messi in an 8-2 drubbing of Barcelona, setting up a highlight reel goal in the process, and became the first Canadian international to lift the UEFA Champions League trophy.
And although he never did get to swap jerseys with Messi — which the Argentine legend agreed to do at halftime but never got around to after the Champions League quarter-final — Davies did have Canadian music icon Drake follow him on Instagram after the final.
The only downside to the season was not being able to come home during the short break to celebrate with his family and friends in Edmonton. Despite an appeal to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Davies was unable to return to Canada due to COVID-19 quarantine restrictions.
“It’s tough. I haven’t seen my family in about eight months now,” Davies said. “With everything going on right now, I’m not sure when I’m going to go back. Hopefully it’s soon, or during the summer break next year.
“But right now, I’m happy to be back with the team, happy to be back playing the game again after the season we had. We had a great season. I’m excited for the new season that’s coming up.”
Not having his parents in the stadium for his biggest accomplishment to date was difficult for Davies.
Due to concerns with the global pandemic, the Champions League tournament was played without fans in a one-game knockout tournament format in Lisbon, Portugal. Bayern defeated Paris Saint-germain 1-0 in the final on Aug. 23.
“Not having my parents there was tough, but afterwards they called me and we celebrated on the phone,” Davies said. “I obviously would have wanted them to be there with me in person so I can give them a hug, but I’m happy that I can call them and Facetime them and celebrate with them like that.”
Davies’ rise to soccer stardom is well documented. He was born to Liberian parents in a refugee camp in Ghana. His family immigrated to Canada and settled in Edmonton, where he played minor soccer.
At 14, Davies joined the Vancouver Whitecaps’ residency program and made his Major League Soccer debut a year later.
After three impressive seasons with the Whitecaps, Davies joined Bayern in January 2019 and has since become their starting left back, a position he hadn’t played prior to arriving in Germany.
Davies expects it will be another busy season with Bayern and with the Canadian national team, a squad that will attempt to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.