Alphonso Davies, the Canadian who was born in a refugee camp and who dressed as Messi in Lisbon

08/14/2020 - 18:33

• Clarín.com
• sports

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the president of Bayern Munich, had already anticipated this. The ex-footballer, today the top leader of the powerful German club, declared before the game that he had the "anti-Messi" antidote, showing himself confident about the quality and level of the squad. But especially 19-year-old defender sensation Alphonso Davies , who has established himself as one of the best left-backs in the world.

“It is a difficult and interesting task. But we have a good 'Messi stopper'. If Messi plays on his side, Alphonso will take care of him; He has not really been beaten or dribbled often this season, ”said the Bavarian club manager in an interview with Sky Sport, from Germany, prior to the vibrant game that was played at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon and on which millions of people were watching. .

Bayern Munich is heading towards its sixth title in the top competition in European football. The lights were not this time on Lionel Messi. It was a rival defender who overshadowed him all the time and did not allow him to unfold his enormous potential. The "executioner" is called Alphonso Davies and had a consecrating performance, awakening the praise of other players, former footballers and spectators from around the world.

Everyone celebrates the goal of Joshua Kimmich, who affectionately teases Canadian Alphonse Davies. Photo: AFP / Manu Fernández.

The work of art that Davies achieved in the fifth Bavarian goal deserves to be told in great detail. Bayern's left-back sat Portuguese Nelson Semedo after "caracolearing" him (showing him without touching) the ball over and over again. He continued in parallel to the final line and before the departure of Ter Stegen he assisted Kimmich for the 5-2, which the entire German team celebrated by pointing to the young brunette.

Before reviewing the performance of the Canadian pearl, we must know the history of this extreme turned left back who is called to be one of the great figures of European football in the coming years, but whose origin was complicated and was able to get ahead thanks to the fundamental support of their parents.

Alphonso Boyle Davies was born on November 2, 2000 in a refugee camp in Buduburam (Ghana), but is far from being considered Ghanaian. His true roots come from Liberia, where his parents Debeah and Victoria escaped the second Civil War that broke out in 1999.

Alphonso Davies suffers the slap of the Chilean Arturo Vidal. The young Canadian winger was one of the figures of a historic match. Photo: AFP / Rafael Marchante).

He lived in that refugee camp for the first five years of his life, but his parents did not want their son to continue growing up in this context of hunger, misery and -mainly- survival, so they enrolled in a relocation program. Destiny? Canada, where they moved in 2005, without knowing absolutely anyone and without knowing what fate would bring them .

First they settled in Windsor (Ontario), and then they moved permanently to Edmonton, the capital of Alberta. Once settled on Canadian territory, the family grew larger and Alphonso had to take care of his two brothers, while his parents worked almost all day to survive.

She discovered her passion for the round playing with her classmates from the Mother Teresa Catholic school in Calcutta, where she quickly stood out for her talent. One of her teachers, knowing her financial situation, recommended that she enroll in a free soccer academy so that she could receive training. She did so.

Alphonso entered the Free Footie Academy, then went on to the St. Nicks Club and later to the Edmonton Strickers. At 14, things got serious because a Major League Soccer team came looking for him and he had to separate from his family to pursue his soccer dream . Vancouver Whitecaps incorporated him into their youth divisions, but his progress was so rapid that at age 15 he was promoted to the professional roster, becoming the first player born in the 21st century to make his debut in the North American MLS (Major League Soccer) .

Alphonso Davies vs. Erling Haaland. The attractive duel between the promising youngsters was won by the Canadian defender, who neutralized the Norwegian striker. as in Lisbon he did with Messi. Photo: DPA.

While in Europe they were already beginning to look at him askance, the Canadian Federation saw in Davies a luxury reinforcement to dispute the Concacaf Gold Cup. However, despite having integrated the youth selected, Alphonso had not received citizenship of the North American country, a document that he finally obtained a month before the contest began.

Davies made his senior team debut in a friendly against Curaçao and later participated in the Cup, where he converted a double against French Guiana in the opening and scored another goal for Costa Rica. Canada lost in the quarterfinals to Jamaica, but Alphonso was able to indulge himself in representing the nation that opened doors for him and his family.

What a fabulous talent @AlphonsoDavies is. So rapid and intelligent whether going forward or backwards.

2018 was the year of the explosion. He established himself in the starting eleven and scored several goals, to the point of being considered the player of the year by the club and receiving an award for having scored the best goal of the team. Vancouver found it impossible to retain such a diamond in the rough: Bayern Munich, Barcelona, ​​Manchester United, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain wanted to take the talented forward.

The Bavarian team finally got it in exchange for 10 million euros, in what was the second most expensive sale in MLS history at the time . In his first year at the German club, he played very little (he was also champion of the Bundesliga and the German Cup), but this season he found his place and in a position that is not the usual but that does not elude him: the winger left.

Wish I had Alphonso Davies pace🤣⚡️

Faced with the poor performance of Frenchman Lucas Hernández, German coach Hans Flick was forced to try Davies in the left lane. The results were surprising, as the Canadian spreads across the band at impressive speed and resolves with determination in both areas. Flick found a staunch defender and a deadly attacker in Davies, a spectacular combo.

In this way, Alphonso ended up snatching the place from the world champion in Russia 2018, for whom Bayern Munich paid no less than 80 million euros to Atlético de Madrid at the beginning of the season to have the left flank well covered. Immediately, the club renewed his contract and shielded him from the possibility that another colossus will come looking for him: he signed until 2025 and his new value is 45 million euros .

Since the Bundesliga was resumed, Davies has overcome game after game, with goals and great performances: for example, he broke it in the classic against Borussia Dortmund, where he also achieved an outstanding mark. And he ended up celebrating the eighth Bundesliga of Bayern Munich in a row.

In a sensational run at 35.3 km / h, he cut Haaland 15 meters to prevent him from defining one-on-one against Manuel Neuer . With the speed he reached in that pique, Davies was among the five fastest footballers in the world , below the French Kylian Mbappé (36 km / h), the Spanish Iñaki Williams (35.7 km / h) and the Gabonese Pierre -Emerick Aubameyang (35.3 km / h). Behind him was the German Karim Bellarabi, with 35.27 km / h.

Praise rained down on the Canadian "Usain Bolt" all day. From colleagues like the English Declan Rice and the Belgian Romelu Lukaku to the legendary English striker Gary Lineker, through his partner Thomas Muller, who after the classic compared him to the Road Runner.

​Silently, Alphonso Davies walks the path of a world star in the making, with the patience and humility of that little boy who came to Canada in search of a favorable future.

JCH.