HAPPY DAVIES
The Canadian city of Edmonton, where Bayern Munich’s increasingly impressive roadrunner left-back Alphonso Davies spent his formative years, is not the sort of place where eagle-eyed European club scouts normally prospect for round ball excellence.
As far as the vast majority of the Edmonton populace is concerned, ice hockey is the only sport to raise the pulse. In these parts, the stick and the puck are nothing less than a religion, with fans dedicated to their beloved Edmonton Oilers, who in the1980s won a string of Stanley Cups (the Holy Grail of the National Hockey League) and featured the inimitable skills of Wayne Gretzky, almost unanimously considered the greatest player of all time.
Growing up in Edmonton, young Alphonso – nicknamed Phonzie – was to all intents and purposes a million miles from the professional football mainstream. But what an expert navigator he has proven to be, successfully going from the “Free Footie” programme in his hometown – an afterschool indoor league for disadvantaged inner city kids – to the heady heights of a clean sweep (Champions League, Bundesliga and DFB Cup) with Bayern last term.
Only one full season as a Bayern starter and already elevated to the rank of superstar. Not bad for a teenager who was born and raised in a refugee camp in Ghana. His rocketing market worth tells its own story:18 months after Bayern paid Vancouver Whitecaps €11.5 million, he now
