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Alphonso Davies: His Rise to FC Bayern Munich

Alphonso Davies Bayern Munich

EDITORIAL – Alphonso Davies is one of Canada and Concacaf’s most promising players. Born in a refugee camp in Ghana, Davies has progressed into a young superstar progressing quickly from the Vancouver Whitecaps FC to FC Bayern Munich. However, his story started before his time with Vancouver in Davies’ hometown in Edmonton.

The Rise of Alphonso Davies

The Childhood of Alphonso Davies

Alphonso Davies was born on November 2nd, 2000 at a Buduburam refugee camp in Ghana. At that time, his parents were refugees, who were trying to escape from the war-torn country in Liberia according to Life Bogger. However, Davies does not remember the horrors in Liberia as he and his family moved to Windsor, Ontario. A year later he moved again to Edmonton, Alberta, where his professional soccer adventure began.

Growing Up in Edmonton

This is what Alphonso Davies said about his dream as a kid in Edmonton according to TSN.

“My goal as a player is to reach professional level, and probably play with some of the pros.”

In Edmonton, he played for a team called the Edmonton Strikers. There he played for Nick Huoseh who was the head coach at the time. Huoseh now represents Davies as his agent according to Colette Derworiz of The Canadian Press. Both Davies and Huoseh have a close relationship. During Davies’ time with the Edmonton Strikers, Huoseh would drive Davies according to DW Kick off!

Huoseh and the Edmonton Strikers helped him achieve his goals. Furthermore, according to Colette Derworiz of The Canadian Press, Davies played for St. Nicholas Soccer Academy in Edmonton for three years. His time at the academy, club, and after-school programs (Free Footie) helped Davies become the player he was before he became a professional.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

On February 23rd, Davies was introduced as a Whitecaps FC 2 player, which was a USL farm team of MLS-side Vancouver Whitecaps FC. This signing officially started Alphonso Davies’ professional career at only 15 years old.

Davies played 11 games and scored two goals for Whitecaps FC 2. This includes scoring his first-ever goal against LA Galaxy II.

Alphonso Davies would also play for Vancouver Whitecaps FC in 2016. His first-ever game for the Whitecaps was against Ottawa Fury FC. He would also start in leg 2 against Fury FC in Vancouver. Then in July, he signed a multi-year contract with Vancouver according to whitecapsfc.com. This is what Davies said about the signing:

“This is a dream come true,” said Davies. “I’ve grown so much since joining the Residency program last year, and have continued to learn from the first-team players and coaching staff. Coming to Vancouver was the best decision of my life. I’m so thankful to the club for having faith in me and I can’t wait to get started in MLS.”

He would play 65 games for the Whitecaps, scoring eight goals from 2016-18. One of his most notable games was the 2018 MLS season opener against the Montreal Impact. According to Charles Boehm of MLS.com, he scored a goal and assisted on a Kei Kamara goal in a 2-1 Whitecaps win. His best game though was probably against Minnesota United FC. He had two goals and two assists as the Whitecaps defeated Minnesota United FC 4-2.

According to J.J. Adams of The Province, Alphonso Davies was named the Vancouver Whitecaps player of the year in 2018. Furthermore, it was confirmed by whitecapsfc.com that Alphonso Davies was voted by fans in 2018’s Whitecaps FC BMO Player of the Year.

FC Bayern Munich

FC Bayern Munich, considered one of the big giants in German soccer, signed Davies to a large contract in 2018 for five years.

 

Alphonso Davies made his Bundesliga debut against VfB Stuttgart as a substitute in a 4-1 win according to The Canadian Press of CBC.

According to The Canadian Press, he was the ninth Canadian player to play for FC Bayern Munich. However, Davies was first and so far, only Canadian player to score for FC Bayern Munich. Furthermore, according to Bundesliga.com, Davies was the youngest goal-scorer since 1999 for FC Bayern Munich.

Alphonso Davies had three goals and seven assists in 33 appearances for FC Bayern Munich this year according to FCBayernMunich.com. He also played six games with Bayern Munich II.

However, Davies’ real strength with Bayern Munich is not with his scoring ability, but his defence. This was clearly shown against Chelsea in February this year. According to Kim McCauley of SBNation, Alphonso Davies was able to cut the threat of Chelsea players who got behind Bayern’s backline. Moreover, in the second half of that game, Davies went past four defenders for a fantastic assist on a Bayern Munich goal.

There is so much potential for Alphonso Davies with Bayern Munich. His career has just started. Expect him to do many great things in the future as a left-back for Bayern Munich.

Overview of Alphonso Davies

Alphonso Davies’ story is quite unconventional. He was born in a refugee camp in Ghana and came to Windsor at the age of five. A year later, he would move to Edmonton. This is where Alphonso Davies would grow up and begin to love the game of soccer.

Then he went to the Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Whitecaps FC 2. There he established himself as one of MLS’s best players despite being just a teenager. His success with the Whitecaps was a big reason why he got a contract from Bayern Munich. Thomas Müller, a German and Bayern Munich legend said this about Davies:

It is important to note that Davies is not the only great player coming from Canada. Jonathan David has played extremely well for Gent in Belgium. In an interview with Kristian Jack of TSN, David revealed that he is interested in playing in Bundesliga in Germany.

However, he also did state that it was unlikely to be Bayern Munich because Robert Lewandowski is playing well for them. According to Durim Halimi of FanSided, David is currently negotiating a contract with Premier League side Newcastle United F.C.

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