Alphonso Davies

1.1. Birth and Refugee Background

Alphonso Davies was born on November 2, 2000, to Liberian parents, Debeah and Victoria Davies, in Buduburam, a refugee camp in Gomoa East District, Ghana. His parents had originally lived in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, but fled during the Second Liberian Civil War, which displaced over 450,000 Liberians. Davies is the fourth youngest of six siblings. In 2005, when Davies was five years old, his family emigrated to Canada as refugees, initially settling in Windsor, Ontario, before moving to Edmonton, Alberta, a year later. On June 6, 2017, he officially received Canadian citizenship; until then, he had been a Liberian national.

1.2. Childhood and Youth Football

After moving to Edmonton, Davies attended Mother Teresa Elementary School and St Nicholas Catholic Junior High in the Edmonton Catholic School District. A school soccer teammate, Onesphore Hamis, recalled that "Soccer was the thing he wanted to get into, but language was a problem." His classmate, Chernoh Fahnbulleh, also a Liberian immigrant, noted that Davies "spoke English but it was, like, broken English".

As a child in Edmonton, Davies first played organized soccer with Free Footie, an after-school soccer league designed for inner-city elementary school students who could not afford registration fees or equipment, or who lacked transportation to games. He played for Edmonton Internationals and Edmonton Strikers before joining the Whitecaps FC Residency program in 2015 at the age of 14. As part of the program, he relocated alone to Vancouver and attended Burnaby Central Secondary School. Davies also serves as a club ambassador with Edmonton BTB SC, a club he played for during his youth.

2.1. Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Davies signed with Whitecaps FC 2 in the USL on February 23, 2016, after joining Vancouver Whitecaps FC during their 2016 MLS preseason tour. At the time of his signing, he became the youngest player signed to a USL contract at 15 years and 3 months. Davies made his professional debut for Whitecaps FC 2 in April 2016 at 15 years and 5 months. On May 15, 2016, he scored his first professional goal, making him the youngest goal scorer in USL history at 15 years and 6 months, a record he held until 2020. He scored two goals in 11 games during the 2016 season.

Davies was named to the Whitecaps' roster for the 2016 Canadian Championship on a short-term contract. 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.

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. Davies made his MLS debut on July 16, 2016, becoming the second youngest player to play in MLS, behind Freddy Adu. 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. In the same month, Davies became the second youngest starter in MLS history when he started a game against the Colorado Rapids. On October 2, 2016, he started against rival club Seattle Sounders FC, earning a penalty kick. During the 2016 season, Davies played in eight MLS games, four Canadian Championship games, and three games in the CONCACAF Champions League. In the 2017 season, he played in both legs against New York Red Bulls and Tigres UANL in the CONCACAF Champions League quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively, scoring in a 2-0 win over New York Red Bulls. The team also won the Cascadia Cup in 2016 and reached the Western Conference semifinals of the MLS Cup in 2017, and the Canadian Championship final in 2018.

Following his impressive early MLS appearances, Davies attracted interest and was scouted by European clubs including Manchester United, Chelsea, and Liverpool. He was also named one of the 60 best young soccer talents in the world in 2017. In the 2018 season opener against the Montreal Impact, Davies scored his first goal in MLS action, and assisted on a Kei Kamara goal. On June 10, 2018, he scored a goal and got three assists in a 5-2 win over Orlando City SC. Davies scored two goals and provided two assists to help his side defeat Minnesota United FC with a 4-2 victory on July 29. 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. Davies made an appearance during the match, which finished as a 3-5 penalty shoot-out loss following a 1-1 draw. Davies was named the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Player of the Year on October 24, and also received the Whitecaps' Goal of the Year award. In Davies' final game for Vancouver on October 28, he scored both goals in a 2-1 victory over the Portland Timbers.

2.2. Bayern Munich

Alphonso Davies' move to Bayern Munich marked a significant turning point in his career, where he developed into a world-class player.

2.2.1. Initial Years and Adaptation (2019)

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. The base fee for the transfer was 13.50 M USD, with performance-related bonuses that total 22.00 M USD, a then-record for MLS, later eclipsed by the transfer of Miguel Almirón to Newcastle United. Davies had his first training session with Bayern on November 21, 2018, and debuted on January 12, 2019, against Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Telekom Cup championship finale, which Bayern won on penalties following a scoreless draw. Davies made his Bundesliga debut on January 27 against VfB Stuttgart, appearing as a late substitute for Kingsley Coman in a 3-1 victory. He scored his first goal for Bayern on March 17, netting the final goal in a 6-0 rout of Mainz 05. 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. 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, though he was not selected for the match day squad.

2.2.3. Continued Success and Recent Seasons (2020-present)

On October 24, 2020, 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. Davies finished in third place for the 2020 Golden Boy award, behind Erling Haaland and Ansu Fati, which was the highest finish for a defender. On February 11, 2021, he played in a 1-0 win over Tigres UANL in the 2020 FIFA Club World Cup Final, adding another trophy to his haul.

On January 5, 2022, Davies tested positive for COVID-19, prompting Bayern to do further tests. On January 14, it was revealed that he had developed mild myocarditis; he was unable to train with the rest of the Bayern squad. Davies is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and had received his booster shot in December 2021. 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 Bellingham of a 2-2 away draw.

On March 4, 2023, Davies made his 100th Bundesliga appearance in Bayern's 2-1 victory over VfB Stuttgart, which made him the youngest non-German to reach that feat for Bayern Munich. On March 11, 2023, he scored his fifth goal in a 5-3 home victory over FC Augsburg in the Bundesliga. On April 23, 2023, Davies sustained a left thigh muscle injury during Bayern's match against Mainz 05, ruling him out for a period. By May 15, 2023, he had recovered enough to resume running training, and by May 26, he was performing passing and dribbling drills. On May 8, 2024, he scored his first Champions League goal in the semi-final second leg, which granted his team a 1-0 away lead against Real Madrid, before conceding two late goals and losing 4-3 on aggregate. On February 4, 2025, he extended his contract with the club until 2030. Davies scored a 94th-minute equalizer against Celtic in the Champions League round of 16 match on February 19, 2025, enabling Bayern to progress 3-2 on aggregate.

3.1. Youth National Teams

Although a Liberian citizen by birth, Davies was called to numerous Canada under-15 and under-18 camps in 2014 and 2015. On March 17, 2016, he was called up to the Canada under-20 squad for a friendly against England under-20. In November 2016, Davies attended a Canada under-17 camp, where he scored against Jamaica. In 2016, he was named the Canada U17 Male Player of the Year for his performances with the under-17 and under-20 squads in friendlies. In March 2017, Davies stated in an interview that, "to be able to represent Canada, it is one of my dreams." In 2017, he was named the Canada under-17 Male Player of the Year for a second time due to his performances with the senior team.

3.2. Senior National Team

On June 6, 2017, Davies passed his Canadian citizenship test and officially became a citizen of Canada, making him eligible to play for the Canada national team. On the same day, Davies was added to a senior team camp for a friendly against Curaçao, as well as Canada's preliminary 40-man roster for the 2017 Gold Cup. Davies would debut for the senior team on June 13, 2017, during a friendly game against Curaçao at the age of 16, making him the youngest player to play for the national team. On June 27, Davies was named to the final 23-man squad for the 2017 Gold Cup. In Canada's first match of that tournament, on July 7, 2017, Davies scored twice in a 4-2 victory over French Guiana. The goals made him the youngest goalscorer in both Gold Cup and Canada history, and the first player born in the 2000s to score at a top level international tournament. He then scored in their second match against Costa Rica to earn a 1-1 draw. Davies went on to win the Golden Boot as the tournament's top scorer with 3 goals, the Young Player of the Tournament award, and was included in the tournament's Best XI selection.

On May 30, 2019, Davies was named to the squad for the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Davies was called up for a pair of 2019-20 CONCACAF Nations League A matches against Cuba on September 7 and 10, 2019. In the second match, Davies scored the decisive goal in a 1-0 victory for Canada. In October 2019, Davies would help lead Canada to their first win over the United States in 34 years, scoring the opening goal of their CONCACAF Nations League match, which ended 2-0.

In July 2021, Davies was named to the Canada squad for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, however he suffered an ankle injury on July 9, two days before Canada's opening match at the tournament, that ruled him out of the competition. On October 13, 2021, in a World Cup qualifying match against Panama, Davies scored a highlight reel goal, making an 80-yard run to keep the ball in play, reaching a top speed of 23 mph ^{(37.1 km/h)}. In his hometown of Edmonton, Alberta, Davies played a key role in Canada's 2-1 World Cup qualifying win over Mexico in November 2021.

Davies played a central role in Canada's qualification campaign for most of the calendar, but he missed the final two international windows as a result of having developed mild myocarditis. His livestream Twitch commentaries on the remaining games attracted media attention, in particular his emotional reaction to the 4-0 victory over Jamaica that officially qualified Canada for the 2022 World Cup. This was only the second time Canada had managed this feat, and the first time since 1986.

In May 2022, Davies was called up to the Canada squad for two CONCACAF Nations League matches and a friendly. In the June 9 game against Curaçao, he marked his return to international competition after his myocarditis-related absence with two goals in a 4-0 victory for Canada. In November 2022, Davies was named to Canada's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In Canada's first match of the tournament against Belgium on November 23, he failed to score an early penalty in an eventual 1-0 loss, with Thibaut Courtois saving his shot. Four days later, he scored Canada's first ever goal at the FIFA World Cup in the match against Croatia; however, Croatia came back to win 4-1, eliminating Canada from the tournament after two matches. Canada exited the tournament with three losses, scoring two goals and conceding seven.

In June 2023, Davies was named to the final 23-man squad for Canada ahead of the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals. Having missed the final months of the club season due to a hamstring injury, Davies did not start in the semi-final against Panama, but came off the bench as a substitute in the second half and scored the team's second goal in a 2-0 victory. Canada advanced to the tournament final against the United States, their first tournament final in 23 years, but would lose 2-0 to the Americans. Davies captained Canada for the first time in a friendly against the Netherlands on June 6, 2024. On June 15, Davies was named to Canada's squad for the 2024 Copa América. He was later named the team's captain for the tournament by head coach Jesse Marsch, succeeding longtime veterans Atiba Hutchinson and Milan Borjan. Davies would captain his country all the way to the semifinals of the tournament, with Canada finishing fourth. In a September 2024 friendly in Kansas City, Kansas, Davies captained Les Rouges_{The Reds}^French to a 2-1 win against the United States, their first on American soil since 1957. While named to the initial roster for Canada's November 2024 tie against Suriname in the 2024-25 CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals, Davies would withdraw before the international window for what head coach Jesse Marsch described as "match fatigue". Canada would win the tie 4-0 on aggregate to progress to the 2025 Nations League finals.

4.1. Style of Play

Davies, standing at 72 in ^{(183 cm)} and weighing 165 lb ^{(75 kg)}, mainly plays as an attacking full-back on the left flank. He is also capable of playing as a wing-back, left midfielder, or winger due to his explosive pace, dribbling, creativity, and crossing ability, which allow him to make overlapping runs and serve as an attacking threat for his teams. While his positional sense has been cited as an area for improvement, his speed and intelligence enable him to track back and provide defensive cover for his team, contributing effectively at both ends of the pitch. He is considered to be a highly promising young player.

4.2. Reception and Legacy

Davies has been widely regarded as one of the best left-backs in the world, with particular praise for his ability to also play as an offensive winger if needed. In his early seasons with Bayern Munich, he was praised as one of the world's best youth players, being listed on the 2020 IFFHS World Youth Team and finishing 3rd in voting for the 2020 Golden Boy award, which is presented to the best under-21 player in Europe - this was the highest finish for a defender. He was also ranked 6th in the "NxGn 2019" list of the world's best young players.

Regarded by many as the greatest Canadian player of all time since a young age, he is seen as the "face" of his national side and scored the country's first ever World Cup goal in 2022. He is also considered one of the two best active CONCACAF players worldwide alongside Christian Pulisic, as well as one of the best North American players of all time. His impact extends beyond statistics; for example, during Bayern's 8-2 victory over FC Barcelona in the 2020 Champions League, Davies' outstanding performance notably countered earlier remarks attributed to Barcelona's then-president, who allegedly stated that "Canadians are not needed" when the club had the opportunity to sign Davies. This moment served as a testament to his rising global stature and proved his value on the highest stage.

5.1. Relationships

Davies was in a relationship with fellow Canadian national team player Jordyn Huitema, a forward for Paris Saint-Germain and the Canada women's national team, starting from September 2017. Huitema humorously described Davies' initial "pick-up lines" as terrible. In September 2019, Davies was fined 20.00 K EUR for arriving late to a Bayern practice after visiting Huitema in Paris. By June 2020, the French press speculated that Davies might be interested in having Huitema sign with Bayern's women's side. On May 22, 2022, Davies confirmed on social media that he and Huitema had split up.

5.2. Advocacy and Interests

Davies is an ambassador for the UNHCR, marking him as the first soccer player and first Canadian to hold this role. In April 2020, he participated in a virtual soccer match against fellow professional Asmir Begović - who also came to Canada as a child refugee - to raise money for the agency. Davies is a fan of the NHL's Edmonton Oilers. He also serves as a club ambassador with Edmonton BTB SC, a club he played for during his youth, further supporting community engagement in soccer.

6.1. Club

6.2. International