The new Bayern Munich youngster has been tipped to have a major impact on the next generations coming through
Alphonso Davies’ former youth coach says the Canadian star has everything it takes to not only thrive in Germany, but inspire a generation of young players.
After breaking through with the Vancouver Whitecaps aged just 15 in July 2016, Davies thrived in MLS, scoring eight goals in 33 matches from a wide position in 2018.
The success earned the Canada international a transfer to Bayern Munich, with the German club paying a base fee of $13.5 million (£10.55 million) with performance-related bonuses that total $22 million (£17.19 million).
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Davies’ deal shattered the MLS record while also adding to the expectations surrounding the 18-year-old star.
However, his former coach with the Whitecaps, Craig Dalrymple, believes Davies has everything it takes to not only live up to expectations but exceed them.
“I believe that he will inspire a whole generation,” Dalrymple told Goal and Spox.
“Guys who are five, six or seven years old today will say in ten years, ‘I want to be Alphonso Davies’. I really believe that.
“He will not let up in the next two or three years. He will prevail at Bayern Munich and be there, in a few years, a superstar or maybe move on to another big club.”
Dalrymple says he first saw Davies play as a 12-year-old and, after some persuading, convinced the youngster’s parents to allow him to join the Whitecaps academy.
It didn’t take long for Davies to make his leap to the first team, where he eventually became an MLS All-Star in 2018.
In addition, Davies has proven to be a key to the Canadian national team’s future with the Bayern star and Besiktas’ Cyle Larin earmarked as two of the country’s brightest exports in some time.
“Every boy wants to be Messi, but Messi is unique in his playing style,” Dalrymple said. “Alphonso may be half Messi, half Ronaldo.
“I would say that it resembles Kylian Mbappe, because of the power and the speed. Or earlier Thierry Henry. Let’s see how it develops over the next few years.”
Davies is set to officially begin with Bayern in January after playing his final match with the Whitecaps on October 28.
The 18-year-old recently traveled to Munich to join up with the team for training, though, as he prepares for the big move.
Daltymple has complete faith that move is the right one, and one that will work for all involved in the years to come.
“I remember telling our youth coach that Alphonso would play in the first team in two years. I was completely wrong, everything went much faster,” he said.
“We knew relatively soon that Alphonso would attract interest. To be honest, I am so glad that it has become FC Bayern. I am firmly convinced that FC Bayern is exactly the right club at the right time for Alphonso. The situation is just perfect for him.
“Bayern has made clear from the beginning what they intend to do with Alphonso. They want to develop him further, but they also want to give it equal deployment time in the first team.
“Alphonso has to play, that’s crucial. And he still has to face new challenges. I am sure that he will grow and be successful in Munich.”