Tag: Alphonso Davies

Alphonso Davies: Barcelona didn’t want me because I’m Canadian

The left back moved to Bayern Munich in 2019, though he had plenty of options in Europe

Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies has claimed that Barcelona turned down the opportunity to sign him in 2018 because he is Canadian.

At the time, Davies was a teenage star with the Vancouver Whitecaps, marking himself as one of the top prospects in North America after making his MLS debut at age 15.

Davies would eventually complete a transfer to Bayern Munich in January 2019, joining for a fee of up to $22 million in what was at the time the largest outgoing MLS transfer ever.

The left back/winger has gone on to become one of the top left-sided players in Europe, winning five Bundesliga titles and a Champions League while making more than 150 appearances for the club.

In an appearance on the Say Less Podcast, Davies revealed that Barcelona was among the clubs interested five years ago, but the La Liga giants were put off by his nationality.

“Barcelona actually reached out but the president said that they didn’t want me,” Davies said. “They said that they didn’t want me because I was Canadian.

“Not gonna lie, that crushed my feelings a little bit.”

Davies clarified that he did not receive that message directly from Josep Bartomeu, the Barcelona president at the time, but instead from media reports.

“That’s what came out in the media. I don’t know if he actually said that but it’s what came out.”

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Canada falls to Croatia, but Alphonso Davies still delivers iconic moment

Davies announced to the world that Canada is done being a pushover

Canada may not have gotten the result they wanted, but Alphonso Davies still produced the goal they needed.

Croatia won 4-1, shifting into high gear after a tepid start to the tournament, and Canada can no longer qualify for the knockout round. However, in the years to come, Canadian fans will remember that one history-making goal for their side more than they lament defensive lapses that let the game slip away.

To know why, you have to go back to 1986, with Canada going to their first-ever World Cup. They weren’t embarrassed — facing Michel Platini and France, for example, they held out for 79 minutes in a 1-0 defeat — but they left the tournament with zero points and zero goals.

They had to wait 36 years to get another crack at the men’s tournament, but the World Cup remained cruel. Canada suffered arguably the most unjust result of the tournament so far against Belgium, with Davies seeing his early penalty kick saved. Canada’s wait for a goal from a Canadian man at a World Cup would extend for a few more excruciating days. With Croatia the opponent, the prospect of their wait getting extended was looming.

Davies made sure that once gameday came around, Canada fans would get their moment quickly. A long ball to Cyle Larin found the Canada striker in a seam, and he shuttled the ball out to Tajon Buchanan. With Canada surging forward and Croatia simply not realizing the game had kicked off, Buchanan drove a cross to the back post, where Davies soared high to power a header home.

Canada head coach John Herdman had to calm a bit of a storm over his “F Croatia” post-game motivational speech after that Belgium loss, but you have to say, giving that kind of team talk is designed to get exactly this kind of response. Canada, the team with four previous World Cup games and zero goals in any of them, had no fear at all of Croatia, an established global power who went to the 2018 final.

It was a perfect reaction for this Canadian team, who have time and again shown that they believe they can play with anyone. That attitude adjustment breaks decades of tradition for their men’s national team, who were generally trying to sneak a lucky goal and hang on for dear life rather than make their opponents worry.

The “New Canada,” as Herdman likes to call them? They’re a problem for every team they face.

Yes, the game itself slipped away as the first half wore on. Andrej Kramarić equalized in the 36th minute after a long spell of Croatian pressure on Milan Borjan’s goal, and Marko Livaja gave them a 44th minute lead after a moment of poor defensive work on the Canadian back line.

Canada made a real go of it coming out for the second half, sending a few shots barely wide, but Kramarić struck again as Herdman’s side faced repeated problems in central midfield and inside their own box. Croatia, after not really looking quite right against Morocco, roared to life, and Canada wasn’t quite good enough in critical moments to keep pace. A stoppage-time fourth from Lovro Majer flattered Croatia.

It happens. Sometimes, even when you belong on this stage, you lose 4-1 to Croatia. There are only two or three teams in this World Cup that can be completely confident in their ability to avoid getting put in the spin cycle by Croatia the way Canada was for spells. Canada’s inexperience came through, and they’re one of the first teams to be officially eliminated after arguably the most difficult opening pair of fixtures anyone in the tournament had.

However, Davies’ goal should be seen for what it is: a true watershed moment for Canada on the men’s side. It’s definitively not the “biggest moment in Canadian soccer history,” when Canada’s women have literal gold medal on their shelves, but it is the announcement that Canada’s men’s national team has truly arrived at this level.

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Alphonso Davies is ready, says Canada coach: ‘Fonzie’s fit now 
 the dark clouds have shifted’

With Davies clearing fitness tests, Herdman says he can select his best 11 vs. Belgium

AL-RAYYAN, Qatar — For two weeks, the state of Alphonso Davies’ hamstring has been the biggest issue around the Canadian national team camp, the health of their most talented player looming over their first men’s World Cup since 1986.

If you take the words of Canada head coach John Herdman at face value, the Bayern Munich superstar is ready and raring to go for their Qatar 2022 opener vs. Belgium at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium on Wednesday despite the strain he picked up in club play on Nov. 5.

“Fonzie’s fit now. He’s hit his markers. He’s ready to go,” said Herdman, who was initially cagey about his fleet-footed wide man to start of his pre-match press conference only to later effectively confirm Davies’ own enthusiastic proclamations of fitness the previous day. “He was flying in training yesterday, enjoying himself. Canada, we’re in a position now where we can field our strongest team. Everyone’s came through well.”

Herdman added that goalkeeper Milan Borjan has worked through an abdominal issue and should be ready to start.

“It’s exciting times for us now, the dark clouds have shifted and this will be our last training session together where we’ll be all 100%,” said the English coach, after explaining the tenuous wait for Davies to pass the performance staff’s benchmarks.

“I don’t think there was any doubt we’d be starting him. But you’ve got to follow the medical advice. I mean, that’s always part of this,” said Herdman. “Our goal first and foremost is always the safety of the players, that’s paramount, so we’ve had to manage that process.

“I think as a coach, you’re always sitting frustrated when you get the reports in and all the algorithms on return to play and what they can and can’t do and their loadings, etc. But when you speak to the player, you have to be able to look into their eyes and get a sense of what they want and how far they’re willing to push. And you’ve got to ask the questions: first game, what’s the risk? What’s the second game risk?

“We’ve all been willing for him to be ready to go. He’s just starting to hit his top speed, that last sort of full-on sprint. And I think positive psychology always helps injuries heal a little bit quicker. So yeah, I mean, it was good. He’s clear that he wanted to play, I think our medical team, we wanted him to play as well. but you’ve just got to go through the mathematical algorithms that they put in front of you, progress him to top speed, and he hit that.”

‘We don’t have a great amount to lose’

If Herdman holds to his word and gives a start to Davies, the standard-bearer of Les Rouges‘ dramatic resurgence on both the regional and global soccer scenes, it’s the best news imaginable for Canada supporters, especially considering Belgium’s talent-laden squad.

In one sense, anything they can conjure up from here on out is a bonus for Canada. Herdman vowed that his team would play without pressure — “we don’t have a great amount of lose, just a genuine opportunity to make it our cup final” — and veteran captain Atiba Hutchinson spoke of the transformative effect their run to the tournament has already had back home.

“I’ve already seen it sparking a lot of interest in younger players, seven-, eight-year-olds, some in my family, teammates, children and just the interest that it’s brought to our country is really special to see. I’ve been with the national team a very long time and I’ve never seen it get to this level. So it’s great to see and I think it’s going to continue to get bigger and bigger from here on out,” said the 39-year-old, who plays for Turkish power BeƟiktaƟ.

“We’ve got a very strong team with a lot of good players. And we’re going to just do what we’ve been doing. It’s going to be a battle in every game we play. We’re going to fight, we’re going to show our brotherhood. We want to put Canada on the map. So our intention is just to enjoy the moment. We’ve worked a very long time to get here.”

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Canada got some pretty good news on Alphonso Davies’ injury

Canada’s worst fears have been averted

Bayern Munich has offered a positive injury update on Alphonso Davies, saying the Canada star is not in danger of missing the World Cup despite suffering a hamstring strain.

Davies limped out of Bayern’s 3-2 win over Hertha Berlin on Saturday, holding the back of his right leg in what appeared to be a nightmare scenario for Canada just two weeks ahead of the World Cup.

But a day later, Bayern issued an update on the 22-year-old star that eliminated fears of a worst-case outcome.

“FC Bayern will be without Alphonso Davies for the two remaining Bundesliga games prior to the winter break,” a club statement said.

“The 22-year-old fullback suffered a hamstring strain in the 3-2 win at Hertha BSC on Saturday. The diagnosis was confirmed by the German record champions’ medical unit. The Canada international’s participation in the World Cup in Qatar is not at risk.”

Though Davies will be available for Canada’s first men’s World Cup since 1986, it is decidedly not ideal for one of the country’s most vital players to be working his way back to fitness as such a late stage.

Davies has 34 caps and has scored 12 goals for Canada.

Crépeau broken leg confirmed

In less positive injury news, Canada Soccer confirmed that goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau suffered a broken leg in MLS Cup and will miss the World Cup.

The LAFC goalkeeper very clearly suffered a serious injury when he came off his line in extra time, colliding violently with Philadelphia Union forward Cory Burke.

As Fox opted not to show the replay, Crépeau was shown a red card for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity before he was stretchered off.

CrĂ©peau has been capped 15 times by Canada, and was set to serve as backup to Milan Borjan at the World Cup. In his absence, Minnesota United’s Dayne St. Clair looks set to take over as Canada’s backup.

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Canada holds its breath as Alphonso Davies picks up hamstring injury in Bayern win

Canada’s worst fears ahead of the World Cup might be coming true

Canada’s return to the World Cup is at real risk of happening without their best-ever player.

Alphonso Davies left Bayern Munich’s 3-2 win over Hertha Berlin in the 64th minute holding the back of his right leg. Julian Nagelsmann said after the match that Davies has suffered a hamstring strain of unknown severity.

“According to the doctors, at first glance, it is at least a muscle tear. We’ll have to wait for further tests,” Nagelsmann told reporters following the match.

Canada has just eight days between Davies picking up his knock on Saturday and the FIFA-mandated deadline to submit their final World Cup squad, which falls on November 13. Bayern will have to run scans on the injury, which could be a minor strain that requires nothing more complicated than a few days off and some massage treatment.

It could also be more severe situation that keeps him out for weeks or even months, which would prevent John Herdman from bringing Davies to Qatar.

Canada needs good news

For Canada, losing Davies would be a potential catastrophe. They managed to get through much of the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying cycle without the 22-year-old, as a bout with Covid-19 became a struggle with myocarditis that lasted for four months earlier this year.

However, no team wants to enter a World Cup without their biggest star, and that’s especially so for a team that hasn’t played in the tournament in 36 years. The work-around for going without Davies is not simply plugging in another player on the left flank. Raheem Edwards or Richie Laryea would be solid options for that job, but Canada’s attacking threat in transition would take a significant step back without the next-level ability Davies has on the ball.

A Canadian team without their star would have to spread that attacking responsibility around the team. Tajon Buchanan’s success would be that much more important, while young midfielder IsmaĂ«l KonĂ©’s ability to drive forward from central midfield will become all the more vital.

Even if Herdman can shuffle the deck without Davies, Canada’s chances in Group F are surely stronger with him than without. The coming days will be telling for their hopes.

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Dortmund produce stunning comeback in Der Klassiker draw vs. Bayern

Scenes at Signal Iduna Park!

The latest edition of Der Klassiker produced some classic late drama.

Borussia Dortmund — with Gio Reyna not in uniform, and trailing 2-0 in the 73rd minute — came back to snatch a point, with Anthony Modeste nodding home an equalizer in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

Bayern had taken the lead in the 33rd minute, with Leon Goretzka’s 24-yard shot sneaking through traffic before getting under Alexander Meyer’s dive. Early in the second half, Leroy SanĂ© doubled the lead, overpowering Meyer with another long-range rocket.

Dortmund, in truth, didn’t look likely to get back into the game, with Bayern coasting to what looked like an eighth straight win in Der Klassiker across all competitions.

However, the home side caught Bayern flat-footed in the 74th minute, with Modeste slashing in behind the defense before squaring to 17-year-old Youssoufa Moukoko, who finished the chance to give Dortmund some hope. In scoring, Moukoko become the youngest-ever player to score a Der Klassiker goal.

Dortmund were pushing to get level, but even Kingsley Coman being sent off in the 90th minute for picking up a second yellow card seemed irrelevant. Modeste had a glorious 83rd minute chance, but somehow contrived to never make clean contact with the ball from six yards out, turning a sitter into arguably nothing more than Manuel Neuer calmly picking up a cross.

With just eight seconds left in the four minutes of stoppage time given, Karim Adeyimi — the Dortmund player furthest from the Bayern goal, as Meyer had come forward for a set piece moments earlier — lobbed a desperate ball into the area, but it ran long. Bayern were surely walking out with a win.

However, Nico Schlotterbeck didn’t accept that outcome, and just barely managed to keep the ball in bounds, falling over in the process. With no one able to close him, Schlotterbeck scrambled to his feet and tried to clip the ball to the back post. Josip StaniĆĄić arrived to attempt a block, but the ball appeared to glance off of his thigh and into a perfect spot for the charging Modeste, who headed the ball down to set off wild celebrations at Signal Iduna Park.

The comeback, per ESPN, was the first time Dortmund had gotten even a point against Bayern after trailing 2-0 since 1989. It also came with additional bad news for Die Roten, who saw Alphonso Davies leave the match at halftime after taking a high boot to the face.

Watch all the goals from Dortmund vs. Bayern

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Nagelsmann, Davies looking forward to ‘new Bayern Munich’ after Lewandowski’s departure

Without Lewandowski, Nagelsmann has plans to play two up top

Bayern Munich took the field on a sweltering day in Washington, DC, training and signing autographs at Audi Field Tuesday evening ahead of a Wednesday friendly against D.C. United.

New addition Sadio ManĂ© was well-received, and fans serenaded Thomas MĂŒller, but the major topic of the day was someone nowhere near the District. In the stands, Robert Lewandowski jerseys were arguably the most popular kit choice, and in a press conference just before the session, head coach Julian Nagelsmann and Canada star Alphonso Davies were both asked about the towering striker, who only just departed for Barcelona.

Nagelsmann brought Lewandowski up himself in discussing one of Bayern’s new recruits, defender Matthijs de Ligt (who, despite having just flown in to join the team, could possibly play Wednesday).

“We have to compensate that we miss probably 40 goals next season,” Nagelsmann told a packed media room. “We have a lot of players who can score goals, but we also need defending players who can score goals and Matthijs also has the capability to do to this.”

“It’s devastating, him leaving the club. He was a big, big part of this team,” added Davies. “It’s tough to see him go, but we understand his decision and we have to address it and play without him now. So I’m sure we have quality on the pitch, we’re able to do it as well.”

Nagelsmann openly indicated that a leading possibility for Bayern’s adjustment without Lewandowski is to play with two forwards rather than a three-man front line with a lone center forward.

“One of the solutions to compensate the 40 goals, we have the idea sometimes to play with two strikers,” said Nagelsmann, who expressed a desire to have more of a set formation after admitting he changed the team from that angle too often in 2021-22. “This season, probably will be solution to play with two forwards.”

Nagelsmann, who said he was particularly pleased with how Bayern played out of a 3-5-2 formation last season, and Davies both highlighted the fact that it’s not just about formation, but what kind of service Bayern’s forwards get.

“I think we have a lot of players who could play forward and think it’s not that easy to defend it. They can move quickly behind, between the defense lines of the opponents, between the midfield and defense lines,” explained the second-year Bayern boss. “It’s not that easy to get man-on-man coverage against our forwards. So I think our movement will be very dangerous for the opponent’s goal.”

“Whoever plays up there, whether it’s Sadio or whoever it is, we try to feed them the ball,” said Davies. “Sadio, he’s not as big as Lewandowski, but he has the strength to hold up the ball, make plays. He’s definitely quicker than Lewy, so balls in behind, I think that’s a little bit new for for the wingers.”

Nagelsmann had a positive spin on losing Lewandowski, which centered on the fact that teams knew where Bayern was going to go in the attacking third, and that his team can be a bit less predictable this year.

“When play against Bayern Munich, you know that you try to solve the situation with Lewy, and when you get a good man-on-man coverage against Lewy, it was a bit easier to play against Bayern Munich. Now, it’s not that easy to find the best solution—when I talk about the opponents—to defend us,” said Nagelsmann.

“We’ll have a good solution for the future… I look forward to see the new Bayern Munich, after Lewy.”

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Alphonso Davies cements status as Canadian legend by attending NHL playoff game

In addition to being quite good at soccer, the Canada star is also a big hockey fan

It may be easy to forget now that Canada is the new overlord of North American soccer, but hockey also maintains a reasonable degree of popularity up north as well.

So it comes as no surprise to learn that in addition to being quite good at soccer, Canada national team star Alphonso Davies is also a big hockey fan.

Davies was in the building on Sunday night as his hometown Edmonton Oilers took on the Calgary Flames in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals – a series that has been dubbed the Battle of Alberta.

Attending his first NHL playoff game, Davies earned a rousing reception from the crowd at Rogers Place as the Oilers defeated the Flames, taking a 2-1 series lead (they have since made it 3-1).

Fittingly, Bayern Munich defender/midfielder Davies wore the jersey of the Oilers’ German star Leon Draisaitl.

“You saw in November against Costa Rica and Mexico, Edmonton fans are amazing,” Davies said, referring to two wins that helped Canada reach its first World Cup since 1986.

“Hockey in this country is big, especially in this city,” he added. “The fans are truly amazing and I had to come see for myself.”

Davies and Adekugbe bet on Battle of Alberta

Davies and his Canada teammate Sam Adekugbe, who is from Calgary, have put down a $2000 bet on the series, with the loser donating the money to a charity of the winner’s team, as well as being forced to take a photo wearing their rival team’s jersey.

Unless the Flames pull off a three-game winning run, Adekugbe will be posing for photos wearing an Oilers jersey in the very near future.

Davies gets Canada recall

In addition to his favorite hockey team being on the brink of the NHL’s final four, Davies got some more good news on Wednesday when he got his first Canada call-up of 2022.

Davies missed Canada’s final six World Cup qualifiers after being diagnosed with a mild heart condition in January.

The 21-year-old missed three months of action before making his return for Bayern in April.

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Alphonso Davies cried watching Canada’s men’s team qualify for its first World Cup in decades

The Canadian star had nothing but glee for his teammates.

Unfortunately, one of the world’s biggest stars, Alphonso Davies, had to sit out Canada’s men’s soccer team’s final push for the 2022 World Cup. Following a battle with COVID-19 earlier this year, the 21-year-old suffered lingering heart issues. Heart issues that were so severe, he wasn’t medically cleared for action.

Those heart problems were also enough to keep Davies on the sideline for Canada’s (-316) climactic qualifying match with Jamaica on Sunday. Unless they paid for tickets, the Canadian men, of course, hadn’t been to the great tournament as competitors in 36 years. Davies would have to watch his teammates in tenuous nervousness, in the comfort of his home, hoping they could pull off history without him. It’s a feeling of helplessness you’d rather not be privy to.

Boy, did they reward Davies’s anxiety.

This fall will now be the Canadian men’s first World Cup since 1986. I’m not particularly great with time but even I know that it’s been a while.

And Davies, again watching at home (while streaming on Twitch), couldn’t help but break down with intense emotions at the news.

Incredible. That’s the kind of sports moment that really pulls on the heart strings.

To put a bow on the history, Davies had a (likely prerecorded) message for his Canadian teammates after the game.

This is admittedly speculation, but Davies saying “we” for games that won’t be played for eight months seems like an amazing sign of how his health is coming along. “We”, meaning us, might soon see this superstar adorned in Canadian red, in the World Cup.

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Alphonso Davies won the Champions League, but a Drake follow made his night

“OHHH! WHOA. WHOA. DRIZZY. OH MY GOD. HOLD ON HOLD ON HOLD ON. DRAKE. YOU FOLLOWED ME. I CAN’T … I CAN’T BELIEVE. MY NIGHT IS COMPLETE!”

Drake has never met a bandwagon he wasn’t ready to fling himself onto, and that was true this weekend when Bayern Munich beat PSG to win the Champions League.

Why Bayern? That’s who 19-year-old Canadian left back Alphonso Davies plays for. Davies was playing in MLS just a couple years ago, and has quickly catapulted himself from exciting young prospect to arguably the best left back in the world.

He’s also Canadian. Hence the Drake interest. And that’s what led to Sunday night — after Davies won the Champions League, playing every minute of the game for Bayern Munich, he got the follow from Drake on Instagram after the match.

He captured the moment he realized it on his Instagram story, and it’s perfect.

A rough transcript, as best as I can follow:

“OHHH! WHOA. WHOA. DRIZZY. OH MY GOD. HOLD ON HOLD ON HOLD ON. DRAKE. YOU FOLLOWED ME. I CAN’T … I CAN’T BELIEVE. MY NIGHT IS COMPLETE. I’M GOING TO BED.”

Congratulations to Davies for both his wins on the night.

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