Alphonso Boyle Davies(born November 2, 2000) is a professionalsoccerplayer who plays as aleft-backandwingerforBundesligaclubBayern MunichandcaptainstheCanada national team. He is widely regarded as one of the best full-backs in the world, and one of the best North American players of all time. Davies has earned the nickname "TheRoadrunner"for his exceptional pace, dribbling ability, and creativity.[4][5][6]
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:27, October 6, 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of September 10, 2024
Davies was the first player born in the 2000s to play in a Major League Soccer match. He joined Bayern in January 2019 from MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps FC on a contract lasting until 2023 for a then-record MLS transfer fee.[7][8] Davies was named the Bundesliga Rookie of the Season for 2019–20.[9] In that season he also was part of the team winning the continental treble after Bayern won the Bundesliga, the UEFA Champions Leagueand the DFB-Pokal. His performances led him to be a finalist of 2020 Golden Boy award.[10]
Born in Ghana to refugee Liberian parents, Davies and his family relocated to Canada when he was 5 years old. Davies obtained Canadian citizenship in June 2017; he was until then a Liberian national. Later that month, he became the youngest player to appear for the Canada national team.[11] By scoring two goals in a 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cupmatch against French Guiana, he became the youngest player to score for the team, the youngest to score at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, and first player born in the 2000s to score at a top level international tournament.[12] He would go on to be named CONCACAF Men's Player of the Yearin 2021 and 2022.[13][14] Davies was called up to play in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, where he scored Canada's first ever World Cup goal. He is widely considered both the best player on and the face of the Canada national team.[15][16][17]
Davies is the first soccer player, and first Canadian, to become an ambassador for the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR.[18]
Davies was born to Liberian parents in Buduburam, a refugee camp in Ghana, the fourth youngest of six siblings.[19][20][21] His father, Debeah Davies, and his mother, Victoria Davies, originally lived in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia.[22] They fled during the Second Liberian Civil War, which displaced more than 450,000 Liberians.[23][24] In 2005, the family emigrated to Canada, eventually settling in Edmonton.[11][23]After moving to Edmonton, Davies attended Mother Teresa Elementary School.[25] At the age of 14, Davies relocated alone to Vancouver to join the Whitecaps FC Residency program.[26] As part of the program, he attended Burnaby Central Secondary School.[26] On June 6, 2017, he received Canadian citizenship;[27] until then he had been a Liberian national.[23]
Davies attended St Nicholas Catholic Junior High in the Edmonton Catholic School District. His school soccer teammate Onesphore Hamis recalled, "Soccer was the thing he wanted to get into, but language was a problem."[28] His classmate and fellow Liberian immigrant Chernoh Fahnbulleh recalled of Davies, "He spoke Englishbut it was, like, broken English".[28]
As a child in Edmonton, Davies first played organized soccer with Free Footie, an after-school soccer league for inner-city elementary school students who cannot afford registration fees and equipment, or who lack transportation to games.[29]
After playing for Edmonton Internationals, and Edmonton Strikers, Davies joined the Whitecaps FC Residency in 2015 at the age of 14.[30][19][31]
After joining Vancouver Whitecaps FC during their 2016 MLS preseason tour,[32] Davies signed with Whitecaps FC 2 in the USL on February 23, 2016.[33] At the time of his signing, he became the youngest player signed to a USL contract at 15 years, 3 months. Davies made his professional debut for Whitecaps FC 2 at the age of 15 years, 5 months in April 2016.[34] On May 15, 2016, he scored his first professional goal, making him the youngest goal scorer in USL history at 15 years, 6 months,[35] a record held by Davies until 2020. He scored two goals in 11 games played during the 2016 season.[36]
Davies was named to the Whitecaps roster for the 2016 Canadian Championship on a short-term contract.[37] On June 1, 2016, he made his first team debut in the first leg of the Canadian Championship against Ottawa Fury FC and started the second leg in Vancouver.[38]
On July 15, 2016, Davies signed a first team contract with the Whitecaps through 2018, with options for the 2019 and 2020 seasons. At the time of his signing, he was the youngest active player in Major League Soccer, and the third youngest player to have signed an MLS contract.[39] Davies made his MLS debut on July 16, 2016, becoming the second youngest player to play in MLS, behind Freddy Adu.[40] In September 2016, he scored his first goal for the first team in the 2016–17 CONCACAF Champions League against Sporting Kansas City in injury time to send the club through to the knockout round.[41] In September 2016, Davies became the second youngest starter in MLS history when he started a game against the Colorado Rapids.[42] On October 2, 2016, he started against rival club Seattle Sounders FC earning a penalty kick.[43]During the 2016 season, Davies played in eight MLS games,[44] four Canadian Championship games,[44] and three games in the CONCACAF Champions League.[45] In the 2017 season, he played in both legs against New York Red Bullsand Tigres UANL in the CONCACAF Champions League quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively, in which he scored in a 2–0 win over New York Red Bulls.[45]
Following his impressive early MLS appearances, Davies attracted interest and was scouted by European clubs including Manchester United, Chelsea, and Liverpool,[46] and was also named one of the 60 best young soccer talents in the world in 2017.[47] In the 2018 season opener against the Montreal Impact, Davies scored his first goal in MLS action, and assisted on a Kei Kamara goal.[48] On June 10, 2018, he scored a goal and got three assists in a 5–2 win over Orlando City SC.[49] Davies scored two goals and provided two assists to help his side defeat Minnesota United with a 4–2 victory on July 29.[50] On June 29, 2018, Davies was included in the MLS All-Star roster for the 2018 MLS All-Star Game on August 1 against Juventus.[51] Davies made an appearance during the match, which finished as a 3–5 penalty shoot-out loss following a 1–1 draw.[52] Davies was named the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Player of the Year on October 24,[53] and also received the Whitecaps' Goal of the Year award.[54] In Davies' final game for Vancouver on October 28, he scored both goals in a 2–1 victory over the Portland Timbers.[55]
On July 25, 2018, Vancouver announced that it had agreed to a multi-million-dollar transfer of Davies to Bundesliga club Bayern Munich, with Davies seeing out the 2018 MLS season with Vancouver, before joining Bayern in January 2019.[56][57] The base fee for the transfer was US$13.5 million, with performance-related bonuses that total $22 million, a then-record for MLS,[8] later eclipsed by the transfer of Miguel Almirón to Newcastle United.[58] Davies had his first training session with Bayern on November 21, 2018,[59] and debuted on January 12, 2019, against Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Telekom Cup championship finale, which Bayern won on penalties following a scoreless draw.[60]Davies made his Bundesliga debut on January 27 against VfB Stuttgart, appearing as a late substitute for Kingsley Coman in a 3–1 victory.[61]He scored his first goal for Bayern on March 17, netting the final goal in a 6–0 rout of Mainz 05.[62]In doing so, and at the age of 18 years, 4 months and 15 days, he became the youngest player since Roque Santa Cruz, twenty years prior, to score for the club. He is the first Canada international to score for Bayern.[63] On May 18, 2019, Davies won his first Bundesliga title as Bayern finished two points above Dortmund with 78 points. A week later, Davies won his first DFB-Pokal as Bayern defeated RB Leipzig 3–0 in the 2019 DFB-Pokal Final. Davies was not selected for the match day squad.[64]
2019–20: First team breakthrough and Champions League triumph
Davies made his first Bundesliga start with Bayern on matchday nine of the 2019–20 Bundesligaseason, going the full 90 minutes in a 2–1 home victory over Union Berlin.[65] He made his first UEFA Champions League start on November 6, 2019, in a 2–0 victory against Olympiacos.[66]Throughout the 2019–20 season, coach Niko Kovač moved Davies to the left back position, following long-term injuries to Niklas Süle and Lucas Hernandez, to allow David Alaba to play at centre back.[67][68] Davies earned high praise during his time in that role, gaining an early reputation as one of the best left backs in the world.[69] On February 25, 2020, Davies set-up Robert Lewandowski's goal in a 3–0 away win over Chelsea in the first leg of the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League; his performance during the match was widely praised in the media, with pundit Gary Lineker commenting that Davies played "beautifully," while former U.S. international Stuart Holden described him as a "world class left back."[70]
In April 2020, Bayern Munich and Davies agreed to a contract extension to 2025, adding two years onto his existing contract.[71]
Following the restart of the Bundesliga which had halted all matches due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Davies started against both Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Dortmund. He scored and assisted in the Frankfurt match and ended up running down Dortmund's Erling Haaland at a speed of 35.3 kilometres per hour (21.9 mph).[72]On June 16, 2020, Davies featured for Bayern against Werder Bremen in a game they won 1–0, securing Bayern Munich their eighth consecutive league title. Davies was sent off in the 79th minute for a second yellow card, but not before breaking the record for the fastest speed clocked in the Bundesliga at 36.51 kilometres per hour (22.69 mph).[73] Davies was named the Bundesliga Rookie of the Year for the 2019–20 season.[9]
On August 14, 2020, Davies, who was playing the left-back position, was applauded for assisting Joshua Kimmich's goal against Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals which Bayern Munich won with an impressive final score of 8–2.[74] On August 23, he started in the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain, which Bayern won 1–0 to complete a continental treble;[75] consequently, Davies became the first Canadian international to win the Champions League.[76]
On October 24, Davies was forced off in the third minute of play in an eventual 5–0 home win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga, after sustaining an injury to his right ankle; it was later announced that he was expected to remain sidelined for 6 to 8 weeks.[77]
On January 5, 2022, Davies tested positive for COVID-19,[79] prompting Bayern to do further tests and on January 14, it was revealed that he had developed mild myocarditis; he was unable to train with the rest of the Bayern squad.[80][81]Davies is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and had received his booster shot in December 2021.[82]
On October 8, Davies sustained a cranial bruise while taking a foot to the face in the 45th minute in a challenge with Dortmund's Jude Bellinghamof a 2–2 away draw.[83]
On March 4, 2023, Davies made his 100th Bundesliga appearance in Bayern's 2–1 victory overVfB Stuttgart, which made him the youngest non-German to reach that feat for Bayern Munich.[84]On May 8, 2024, he scored his first Champions League goal in thesemi-final second leg, which granted his team a 1–0 away lead againstReal Madrid, before conceding two late goals and losing 4–3 on aggregate.
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Alphonso Boyle Davies
