Alphonso Davies (L) of Bayern Munich vies with Rabbi Matondo of Schalke 04 during a 2019-2020 season German Cup quarter-final match between FC Schalke 04 and FC Bayern Munich in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, March 3, 2020. (Photo by Joachim Bywaletz/Xinhua)
"He is one of the world's best, and it is a pleasure for every sportsman to see him play," Bayern Munich Youngster Alphonso Davies told Xinhua about his idol Lionel Messi in a recent interview
By Oliver Trust
BERLIN, April 28 (Xinhua) -- A smile flits over his face when talking about his idol Lionel Messi. "He is one of the world's best, and it is a pleasure for every sportsman to see him play," Bayern Munich Youngster Alphonso Davies told Xinhua in a recent interview.
In his dreams, he might follow the genius like movements of Barcelona's Argentine superstar, in real life as a football professional, the 19-year-old is listening to the advice of teammate David Alaba. The Austrian international made way for Davies on the left-back position moving to the center.
"It is of substantial help for every youngster to have an experienced performer like him around. He is one of the best left-back's in the world," he commented, adding Alaba told him about the secrets on the far-left side.
"I guess my future is the one of a left-back."
Davies not only filled the gap surprisingly well. His convincing appearances as a substitute made him irreplaceable and have exploded into life this season.
The rookie developed to one of the top three as he dropped back from his original position as a winger. A career jump could hardly be steeper.
Alphonso Davies (R) of Bayern Munich vies with Stefan Lainer of Monchengladbach during a German Bundesliga match between Borussia Monchengladbach and FC Bayern Munich in Monchengladbach, Germany, Dec. 7, 2019. (Photo by Ulrich Hufnagel/Xinhua)
Davies' unusual story still sounds like a fairy tale of modern football. He was born and raised in a refugee camp in Ghana until the age of five. His parents fled Liberia in the civil war and moved to Canada.
The gifted 19-year-old Canadian made his way to Bayern from the Vancouver Whitecaps for reported 19 million euros in January 2019. The talented youngster quickly turned into one of the most exciting prospects in world football.
His value is rated at around 50 million euros.
Despite several offers from big European clubs, the former winger recently signed a five-year contract with the Bavarians until 2025.
Due to his enormous speed qualities (35.3 km/h), teammates call him "Usain" as his speed reminds them of former sprint star Usain Bolt.
Davies turned into a role model for millions of young footballers himself.
He is encouraging young talents to not only play football but benefit from other sports such as volleyball, basketball, and cross country running. "I benefitted a lot from other sports for my football career as it turned out to be an advantage to me multi-tasking," he said.
He doesn't feel any pressure as many kids want to follow his example. "Always enjoy every training and every game. And don't forget to always enter the training ground or pitch with a smile on your face," he emphasized.
He called the chance to go to school the essential thing in a child's life. "I enjoyed every moment being in school as football doesn't last forever, so you need an education long term."
While his childhood is a distant memory, his mother is still calling him her "refugee baby." "I am thankful to my parents as they had no easy life. If they hadn't dared to leave Africa, I wouldn't have made my way in professional football," he underlined.
"She always told me to be a good boy and respect people," he said, adding that might be the most important message for him.
His life seems a perfect example that it is always worthwhile to stick to one's dreams. Today Davies is a strong supporter of the UN Refugee Agency's Covic-19 response.
Alphonso Davies (top) of Bayern Munich vies with Erik Thommy of Dusseldorf during a German Bundesliga match between FC Bayern Munich and Fortuna Dusseldorf in Dusseldorf, Germany, Nov. 23, 2019. (Photo by Ulrich Hufnagel/Xinhua)
He is playing virtual e-sports football games to raise money for charity projects connected to refugees. "I want to spread the word to everyone to do as much as possible to help," he said.
When Bayern crushed Premier League side, Chelsea, 3-0 in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, he mesmerized a world audience.
Now he admitted his father is a Chelsea fan admiring Didier Drogba. At home, "there was always a Chelsea game on when I was growing up."
He said games behind closed doors are a challenge for all footballers, but they seem inevitable to maintain everyone's health. "It is not my favorite procedure as fans creating atmosphere have always been a vital part of football," he said.
Regarding his goals with Bayern, he intends to continue the so-far successful season and forget about the advance achieved in the first leg against Chelsea facing the second leg in some time.
Although his time at Bayern is only the starting point of a hopefully long career, he is thinking about the time after. He said football comes first, but "I eventually want to be an actor. I like entertaining people." ■
