Alphonso Davies: Unique journey from refugee camp to Bayern Munich’s ‘next Arjen Robben’ and beyond

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If anyone had been unaware of Alphonso Davies before Tuesday night, then leaving Stamford Bridge they could be in no doubt about what a remarkable talent this 19-year-old is.

Blessed with blistering pace, the teenager rampaged forward from left-back time and time again, and his assist for Bayern Munich’s third goal was no more than his performance deserved.

It came after another lung-busting run from Davies, who has been dubbed Bayern’s “get-out-of-jail-free card” by their head coach Hansi Flick such is the devastating impact of his pace and power.

Afterwards Thomas Muller hailed it as “a world-class performance”, while Davies himself could not hold back his delight.

“It was a dream come true to play in this stadium, because my dad supported Chelsea growing up,” he said.

The idea of Davies playing at Stamford Bridge would have seemed near impossible to the 19-year-old in his youth after he was born in a refugee camp in Ghana.

His parents, Debeah and Victoria, had fled Liberia due to the Second Liberian Civil War - which is estimated to have claimed the lives of around 300,000 people from 1999 to 2003.

“It wasn’t easy running away from war. You don’t know where your kids are. Everyone is all over the place,” Davies told the BBC.

After five years in Ghana, the family left for Canada as refugees and it was there that Davies’ remarkable journey continued.

Settled in Edmonton, Davies originally played football for fun but it became clear he was blessed with talent to take him to the top.

Edmonton Strikers and Nicholas Junior High Soccer Academy were the two beneficiaries of the youngster’s prowess, who split his time between football and looking after his two younger siblings.

In Davies’ own words he “grew up quickly” and that was no truer than when he joined the Vancouver Whitecaps youth setup in 2015 at the age of 14.

It meant moving over 700 miles away from his family in Edmonton, but within a year the sacrifice had been worth it as he made his MLS debut.

Alphonso Davies was immediately called up to the Canada squad in 2017
Getty Images

After passing his citizenship test on June 6, 2017, and officially becoming a citizen of Canada, Davies was immediately called up for international duty.

True to form, he rose to the occasion again and by the end of the month the 16-year-old had finished as the top scorer at the Gold Cup.

A year later, Bayern came calling and and they agreed to pay $13m (£9.84m) - a record fee paid for an MLS player - to win the race for his signature.

Upon his arrival, Davies was dubbed ‘the new Arjen Robben’ given his exploits as a winger, but he has been since been transformed into an attacking left-back.

Like everything in his life it is a challenge the teenager has met head on and conquered, which is no surprise when you remember where this incredible journey began.

“Every time I step on the field I do it for my family,” says Davies. “I do it for them.

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