Alphonso Davies: The Road Runner of Bayern Munich

"Davies is a special kid and the way he is performing in every match it won’t take time for this kid to become one of the best left-backs in the world"


The prolific number 9 of Bayern Munich, Robert Lewandowski struck twice against Fortuna Dusseldorf, and with that, he has now scored against all the opponents in Bundesliga. Again, it is now the outright leading scorer in European football this season, with 29 efforts recorded in the Bundesliga.

Lewandowski can add a further 13 strikes to that list across domestic cup and Champions League outings, taking him onto 43 in total.

Only once before has Lewandowski scaled such heights, back in 2016-17, although he is accustomed to breaking the 40-goal barrier – having reached that figure in five successive seasons.

It was business as usual for Bayern and Lewandowski – Fortuna were simply steamrolled. After the break of Coronavirus, this is a different Bayern altogether, who are showing their intent to dream big and win each and every title, that comes in their way.

Bayern of 2019-20 is not only about Lewandowski, but there are players in and each and every department, who are shining brightly. Someone like Alphonso Davies seems to be shining in every match.

The early days

Davies was born in Buduburam, a refugee camp in the Gomoa East District of Ghana, to Liberian parents. His parents lived there after fleeing their homeland during the Second Liberian Civil War, which displaced more than 450,000 people in Liberia. When Davies was five, his family moved to Canada, eventually relocating to Edmonton. On June 6, 2017, he officially received Canadian citizenship.

Even though football is not a popular sport in Canada like Ice Hockey or Basketball, but Davies had a nag in playing football. He started in the streets and his youth journey started off in Edmonton Internationals and Edmonton Strikers. After that, he joined Whitecaps FC Residency at the age of 14 in 2015.

After joining Vancouver Whitecaps FC during their 2016 MLS preseason tour, Davies signed with Whitecaps FC 2 in the USL on February 23, 2016.

At the time of his signing, he became the youngest player signed to a USL contract at 15 years, 3 months. Davies made his professional debut for Whitecaps FC 2 at the age of 15 years, 5 months in April 2016. On May 15, 2016, he scored his first professional goal, making him the youngest goalscorer in USL history at 15 years, 6 months. He scored two goals in 11 games played during the 2016 season.

The impressive journey at the Whitecaps FC

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 the Ottawa Fury 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 (MLS), 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 September 2016, 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.

He was 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, Davies proved his worth yet again – he stuck once and assisted twice in the game against Orlando and then he struck twice and assisted the same against Minnesota United. He featured in the MLS All-Star XI for the match against Juventus on June 29, 2018. The match was decided by spot-kicks, which went in favour of Juve.

He was named Vancouver Whitecaps FC Player of the Year Award and also received Whitecaps’ Goal of the Year Award.

It’s time for fly in Europe

The scouts of Big Clubs had been following the talent and skill of Davies. Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool showed their interest in signing this young talent. In the end, 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 US$13.5 million, with performance-related bonuses that total $22 million, a then-record for MLS, later eclipsed by the transfer of Miguel Almiron to Newcastle United.

The Road Runner of Bayern Munich

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.

Since his debut for Bayern, Davies seems to have added the X-factor on the left-back position. His pace makes him a deadly weapon and when he amalgamates accuracy and dribbling skills with it – he becomes an unstoppable force. Then it is not about just speed and skill – he has proved instrumental in creating opportunities for Bayern players at the center of the opposition penalty box.

But his pace is exquisite - Against Dortmund, he hogged the limelight for reaching 35.3km/h in a sprint to dispossess Erling Haaland. But, incredibly, Davies went and exceeded that speed against FortunaHe reached 35.4km/h chasing back an opponent to win back the ball. Better still, Bayern went on to take a 1-0 lead thanks to Davies recovering possession.

Davies was instrumental in the move that led to Bayern's first goal in the 15th minute yesterday. After Duesseldorf regained possession after a Bayern corner and started up the field, Davies won the ball back. Five passes later it was in the back of the Duesseldorf net courtesy of an own goal.

He is unbelievably quick which led Thomas Muller jokingly tag him as the Road Runner in an interview after the match against Borussia Dortmund.

Davies said about the tag, “I know the cartoon. I saw him as a child. Yes, I'm quick. I took it as a compliment that he [Muller] called me Road Runner. It's a good nickname for me”.

“I don't think too much about the comments. I come here every day and do what I have to do and try to win as many games as possible”.

“We had a tough game against Dortmund on Tuesday. We also wanted to show the mentality in this game and get the three points. We did that”.


“David Alaba was in praise about his defensive partner, “This is a super boy who puts his foot down every day in training. He always tries to learn. He also listens and tries to implement it. You can see that very well at the weekend that he enjoys developing himself further. He just does it brilliantly”.

Bayern's sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic was also impressed by Davies' performance but noted his extreme speed can be both a blessing and a curse if not used right.

“He fitted in very well, of course he has the speed that helps him. Of course, he relies on this and therefore makes one or two technical mistakes," Salihamidzic said.

“We are working on it in training with him. We take him with us, try to take care of him and do everything around it so that he can perform on the pitch”.

“He does it very well and is very clear. But you can't put the boys in cotton wool. You have to make sure that they stay tuned and continue working. He is very professional”.

Davies is a special kid and the way he is performing in every match it won’t take time for this kid to become one of the best left-backs in the world.

Note: This article has been published at Cricketsoccer on 31/05/2020 Alphonso Davies: The Road Runner of Bayern Munich 

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Der Klassiker: The supremacy of Bayern Munich is evident

Since the return from the break for COVID-19, Bundesliga has been competitive, except or the absence of fans, who are extremely missed. Without a doubt, the fans add so much to the game that the artificial noises can’t fulfill their absence at all. But the show must go on because with few games remaining, the season must be finished and there are financial matters as well.

On Tuesday, the world was upbeat over the Der Klassiker. Bayern Munich displayed their supremacy against Frankfurt, while the dodgy display of Dortmund in the weekends did not satisfy the critics. To challenge the might of Bayern, one would need to be at their very best. The finishing should possess the accuracy alongside pace and dominance at the center of the park.

The race for the title this season has been tighter enough and the supremacy of Bayern had been challenged not only by Dortmund by the emerging teams like RB Leipzig as well. Dortmund had the chance to cut Bayern’s lead at the top. They had a wonderful record at Signal Park Iduna. Sadly, the Dortmund frontline lacked the clinical touch in front of goal.

In the earlier stages of the match, Dortmund caught Bayern on the counter. Jerome Boateng saved Bayern by clearing a goal-bound shot from Haaland as Manuel Neuer went out of the goal.  

Serge Gnabry – preferred over Ivan Perisic – came close as the winger fired a shot past Burki but not covering defender Lukasz Piszeck.

Chances were created.

Both teams played with attacking intent in the first half.

But the goals were still not coming until Joshua Kimmich spotted Burki out of his line and chipped the ball over him from just outside the box. A cool finish and the much-needed lead in an evenly contested first-half.

Jadon Sancho was introduced in the second to increase the momentum and attacking intent a bit more.

Dahoud was denied by Neuer, which the best of chances for Dortmund in the second-half. Robert Lewandowski then sent a curling shot against the post.

Dortmund’s hopes took another blow when a penalty appeal against Boateng was denied by the referee. A Haaland shot caught Boateng on the arm, but the decision was not reviewed by VAR. Meanwhile, a Lewandowski appeal for a penalty was also turned down.        

Dortmund’s chances of a comeback diminished when they witnessed Haaland limping off the pitch and paved the way for a young Reyna. With the goal-scoring machine cutting a sorry figure in the most anticipated battle, Dortmund only watched Bayern bagging full points to take a 7-point lead in the table.

The match was expected to be the battle between Haaland and Lewandowski, but in the end, Achraf Hakimi and Alphonso Davies came out shining brightly. Davies is surely a talent to watch. He is an ideal blend of pace, skill, and temperament. He just gives a different dimension to Bayern on the left. Whereas, no wonder, why Hakimi is regarded so highly – the lanky, but strong customer provides enough bite to the right-flank. His accurate passes are an asset for any team and surely, Real Madrid are observing the growth of their product.

Note: This article has been posted in Cricketsoccer as CSdesk Der Klassiker: The supremacy of Bayern Munich is evident

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Der Klassiker: The clash of the German Titans

In this part of the world, very few bother about Der Klassiker – the German version of El Clasico. In the mid 90s, the clash between Real Madrid and Barcelona took the viewers in the subcontinent by storm and as the time progressed, the Real Madrid and Barcelona clashes overshadowed some of the most epic rivalries in the history of European Club Football.

Der Klassiker is one of those rivalries, which is followed by many in Europe, South America, Africa, and Eastern Asia; but the hype loses its heat due to the El Clasico.

But as a matter of fact, Der Klassiker has an enriched history.

The history

 Der Klassiker (The Classic) - also known as the “German Clasico,” is the name given in football to any match between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.

Since the start of Bundesliga’s journey in 1963, Bayern and Dortmund are two of the most successful teams in German football, having won a combined total of 21 of the past 25 Bundesliga titles as of 2019.

The first match between the two clubs was a 2–0 win for Dortmund in Munich on 16 October 1965.

On 5 May 1966, Dortmund won the 1965-66 European Cup Winners' Cup 2–1 against Liverpool in extra-time, becoming the first German club to win a European title.

Bayern won the same competition the following season.

In 1971, Bayern defeated Dortmund 11–1, which remains Bayern's biggest Bundesliga victory and Dortmund's second-worst defeat – their worst defeat was a 12–0 thrashing against Borussia Mönchengladbach on April 29, 1978.

On the other hand, the highest-scoring draw in a Bundesliga match between the two teams occurred on May 21, 1983, when Karl-Heinz Rummenigge scored a late equalizer to save Bayern from a defeat against hosts Dortmund, with a final scoreline of 4–4.

The 90s were heated up  

The stature of Dortmund grew in the 90s as they challenged the might of Bayern in the seasons of 1994-95 and 1995-96.

Dortmund won on both occasions.

The prestige of Bayern had taken a telling blow.

In 1996, Bayern captain Lothar Matthaus accused Germany teammate Andreas Moller of being a 'crybaby', wiping imaginary tears from his face. Moller reacted by slapping Matthaus. At the end of that season, Dortmund won the 1997 UEFA Champions League Final which happened to be played at the Olympiastadion, Bayern's home ground.

The teams met in the quarter-finals of the next edition of the Champions League, and Dortmund prevailed over two legs thanks to a single goal from Stéphane Chapuisat. That summer, Bayern hired Dortmund's successful coach Ottmar Hitzfeld to work for them.

Tempers flared twice during Bayern and Dortmund's second meeting in the 1998–99 Bundesliga, as Bayern goalkeeper Oliver Kahn first attempted a flying kung-fu kick at Chapuisat, and later appeared to bite Heiko Herrlich's ear.

The 2000s – Bayern Munich dominated more

In the early 2000s both clubs remained successful, as Bayern lost one Champions League final (1999) then won another (2001) in addition to more domestic success, while Dortmund won the 2001–02 Bundesliga and reached the UEFA Cup final the same year.

An angry 2001 league meeting between the pair was notable for 10 yellow cards and three red being shown (a Bundesliga record for indiscipline). However, Dortmund soon fell heavily into debt, and a €2m loan from Bayern in 2004 was a major reason for them being saved from bankruptcy.

April 19, 2008, the two sides clashed in the 2008 DFB-Pokal Final for the first time that took place in Berlin. Luca Toni opened the scoring on 11 minutes, but Mladen Petric drew BVB level in stoppage time, forcing 30 additional minutes. The Italian completed his double in extra time, thus lifting Bayern to cup glory.

The 2010s – Dortmund revival

By 2010, Dortmund started to seek for revival and planned accordingly. The appointment of Jurgen Klopp in May 2008, was a great decision. He started to nurture talents like Mats Hummels, Mario Gotze, Shinji Kagawa and Robert Lewandowski

Klopp and his young boys helped the club to win the Bundesliga titles in 2011 and 2012 - the first time any club other than Bayern won back-to-back championships since Dortmund in the mid-1990s.

Dortmund clinched the 2011–12 league championship in a home match where bananas were tossed at Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

Dortmund then claimed the first double of their history by beating Bayern 5–2 in the 2012 DFB-Pokal Final with a Lewandowski hat-trick, which was also their fifth consecutive win over the opponents!

The epic encounter at Wembley

To be honest, Dortmund were the people’s favourite during the all-German Champions League Final clash at Wembley in 2013 – the first time in the history of competition. It was Der Klassiker at its very best. Both teams possessed a very strong unit and a mouthwatering clash was on offer. The match certainly lived up to the expectations. Sadly, an 89th minute goal dashed Dortmund’s dreams, but from there Dortmund would only grow as a team and today there are one of the most feared oppositions in Europe alongside Bayern Munich.

2019-20: Robert Lewandowski vs Erling Haaland

This season’s Der Klassiker has garnered enough attention due to the suspension of Leagues like La Liga, English Premier League, and Italian Serie A. Yet again, at the top of the table, these two teams are fighting for the ultimate glory like Real Madrid and Barcelona.

The eyes would be focused more on how two of the most prolific strikers on world football – Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski – fares. Already, Haaland’s goal-scoring abilities have become a fear-factor for the opposition throughout Europe. Whereas, there is nothing to explain about the abilities of the charismatic Lewandowski.

Both Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are strong teams and in one aspect Bayern would be attentive, which is, Dortmund’s counter-attacks, which contributed to Haaland’s 30% goals this season. Meanwhile, Dortmund would have to be focused on players like Thomas Muller, Alphonso Davies, and Kingsley Coman – who are dangerous enough to tear down any oppositions even if Lewandowski experiences an off-day.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 26/05/2020 Der Klassiker: The clash of the German Titans 

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Real Madrid should be the next destination for Erling Haaland

Even before the arrival at Borussia Dortmund, Erling Haaland has made an impact on world football while playing in Austrian Bundesliga. He represented Red Bull Salzburg and in Europe’s most top competitions, Haaland’s nag for scoring goals almost in every match had sown the seed of interest among big clubs to buy him. Haaland chose Germany to take his talent to the next level, but big clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona are still keeping an eye on the player of the next generation.

The World Football is still relishing the era of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The charisma and rivalry between these two had kept the last decade most enjoyable ever. But all good things come to an end and new stars emerge to take the throne. At the age of 19, Haaland is showing signs of carrying the legacy of Messi and Ronaldo in this decade.

Haaland, at the age of 19, in fewer matches and with a greater goals-per-game ratio. He has a record of 62 goals in 106 club games. At the same age, Ronaldo scored just 12 times in 87 matches. Haaland’s goals-per-game ratio is 0.53 a game, compared to Ronaldo’s 0.13 at the same age.

Haaland has even bettered Messi’s returns at the same stage of his career: the Barcelona forward had scored 20 goals in 63 games at the same age at a rate of 0.31 per game.

The current problem of Real Madrid has been the lack of a player who could deliver them more than 40 goals per season, which Ronaldo delivered them once upon a time. Florentino Perez would not miss the opportunity to sign Haaland for the Royal Whites as the ideal number 9. Haaland’s hunger for goals and charismatic qualities favour Real Madrid’s ambition and business policies.

If Real are thinking to renovate the team for the new season then Haaland should be in their plans and if there comes an option to choose between Kylian Mbappe and Haaland then Real Madrid should opt for Haaland.

Vinicius Junior on the left, Rodrygo Goes on the right and Haaland on the center would be a marvelous frontline – a devastating one!

Note: This article has been posted in Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 26/05/2020  Real Madrid should be the next destination for Erling Haaland

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Igor Gomes: The next target of Real Madrid

Brazil – the land of music, love, wonderful people, and football. Throughout the past and present century, the Latina Nation has been producing footballing talents, who have nothing but glorified the world of football. As always, they remain the first target of big clubs in Europe. At the moment, it seems, Real Madrid is the new home of the Brazilian young talents.

The boss of Real Madrid Florentino Perez might have missed out signing Neymar, but he did not waste any time in signing talents like Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo Goes, Eder Miliitao, and Reinier Jesus. Now, Perez has focused on another talent hailing from Sao Paolo Football Club – Igor Gomes.

Born in Sao Jose do Rio Preto, Igor was spotted as an eight-year-old playing football in Rio Preto, he was registered by Sao Paulo two years later and moved into their Cotia academy in 2012.

Igor represented America-SP and Tanabi as a youth, before joining the youth setup of Sao Paulo FC at the age of 14.

In early 2016, he was promoted to the under-17 side; and was promoted to the under-20 team at the end of the year.

In 2018, he won the Copa do Brasil Sub-20 with the reserves.

On 26 September 2018, Igor along with Helinho and Antony was promoted to the senior team.

On 26 November, he made his first-team debut, coming on as a substitute for Felipe Araruna in a 0–0 draw against Sport.

On March 24th, 2019, Gomes scored twice in the 2-1 victory of Tricolor over Ituano.

Igor has been capped by Brazil at the Under-20 level, representing the team at the 2017 Toulon Tournament and 2019 South American U-20 Championship.

With his lanky-frame, energetic run from the central midfield, exquisite control over the ball, and elegance, already, Igor is tagged as the “Next Kaka” in Brazil.

But over the years, many youth products in Brazil have been tagged as the same, who found t tough to cope with such a heavy title. Oscar faded while Lucas Paqueta is yet to prove a point.

The times in Brazil Under-17 were tough as Igor said to Globo Esporte, “I blamed myself, I blamed myself too much when I made an error, I was very sad, I couldn't just move on. It hurt me a lot in games because I couldn't develop my football. I had to work on this issue”.

But mentally he proved to be a tough nut as He showed his character to swiftly overcame that hurdle in 2016, though, winning the U17 state championship before moving up to the U20s and tasting Copa do Brasil success.

Gomes was an influential character in Sao Polo’s success in the Copa do Sao Paolo – one of Brazil’s prestigious Youth Tournaments. Sao Palo featured in the finals for the first time since 2010 – a team, which featured Lucas Moura and Casemiro. The final was lost, but Gomes caught the attention of many.

Sao Paolo’s Youth Team underwent a lot of chopping and changing regarding their coaches, but none of them lost faith in the abilities of Gomes -  In 2019 a double in the 2-1 Campeonato Paulista quarter-final first-leg victory over Ituano, the first of which was a delightful scissor kick, showed he could play an important role in the senior set-up.

Fernando Diniz was appointed as the new coach last September and the fortunes of Gomes started to turn around.

Of Gomes' 27 appearances in the 2019 Campeonato Brasileiro, 15 came in the space of two months after he took over as head coach, and his two goals and assists came during that run.

He had the fifth-most passes completed in the league among players aged under 22, with his accuracy rate a respectable 83.7 percent.

Gomes is particularly capable of doing damage high up the pitch. He has an eye for an incisive pass and the technical ability to be able to pull off an intricate through-ball.

Sao Paulo teammates Luan Santos (404) and Antony (749) – who respectively played 257 and 1,037 minutes more than him – were the only players under 22  to complete more passes in the opposition half than his 400 in last year's Brasileirao.

His minutes increased and so as the productivity of the player started to attract clubs in Europe. Who else but Real Madrid was the first to notice the style and agility of Gomes.

According to AS, “It is hoped the 21-year-old will command a record fee of £45million for Sao Paulo, whose previous biggest sale was the £33.5m deal that sent Lucas to Paris Saint-Germain in 2013, and he certainly fits with a recent trend at the Santiago Bernabeu”.

Diniz told Radio Transamerica, “It's difficult to stay [at Sao Paulo] because of his age and quality. Clubs and Sao Paulo cannot escape this, almost none do, they need to sell players to honour their financial commitments”.

“If it arrives at a certain moment, with the size of the proposal, the club is almost obliged to sell. As long as we have the model that is there … we will continue to be a supplier of raw materials. And he is a great raw material”.

“Due to the evolution he is experiencing, he is a player on an exponential growth curve. He plays better and better, he identifies with the club and the way the team plays. His improvement was almost instant after I arrived. There is a very clear tendency for Igor to play better and better”.

“With his age it is always going to be difficult for the team to keep him. If I say what I want, it is that he could stay as long as possible”.

“He is a player of very rare quality in Brazilian football, perhaps worldwide, and the way he plays is very important”.

The talent of Gomes is evident, but it would be interesting to see how long could he carry on and create an impact on the big stages.

Talents come and go in Brazil – things have never easier for the generation players after the era of Ronaldo O Fenomeno Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Cafu, and Roberto Carlos. The weight of expectation would always remain higher for Gomes because he is Brazilian. Gomes needs to keep this mind and proceed accordingly.

Note: This article has been posted in Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 25/05/2020 Igor Gomes: The next target of Real Madrid 

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