Alphonso Davies Has Quickly Established Himself as One of Europe's Best Left-Backs

Alphonso Davies' story is a remarkable one.

After enduring the harsh conditions of a Ghanaian refugee camp when he was born, Davies and his family emigrated to Canada when he was just five, eventually settling in Edmonton, Alberta. 

And when an eight-year-old Davies kicked a football for the very first time, it was clear that he was no ordinary kid. His talent was swiftly recognised by the Vancouver Whitecaps and when he was 14, he moved away from his family to join the MLS side's academy. 

His ability on the counter and in one-v-one situations was unique and after impressing as a 15-year-old in the Whitecaps' reserve side, Davies became the second-youngest player ever to play in the MLS.

Although there were flaws, the wide-grinned winger continued to improve in a Whitecaps shirt before enjoying a breakthrough campaign in 2018 - making 16 goal contributions in 27 league starts as he won his side's Player of the Year award.

His brilliance as a mere 17-year-old caught the eye of Europe's elite; with Arsenal, Liverpool, PSG and Manchester United all expressing interest in Davies. It was Bayern, however, who won the race after laying out an impressive five-year plan for the teenager and they paid just shy of £10m to secure the Canadian's services.

While his opportunities at the Bavarian giants were scarce in his debut season at the club under former boss Niko Kovac, Davies was slowly converted into a left-back before Kovac's departure in November 2019 - a conversion that has been the making of the youngster. 

Tipped by Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic to be "one of the best players of his generation", there's no doubt that Davies has all the attributes to be the most dominant left-back on the planet one day.

Blessed with the athleticism of a track athlete and incredible natural ability, Davies is truly a sight to behold - completing the most dribbles out of anyone in the Bayern squad in the Bundesliga this season (​49, ten more than anyone else) at an equally impressive 63.6% success rate. 

While in possession he beholds the instincts of a top-level winger, defensively he's gone from strength to strength under interim boss Hansi Flick.

Boasting a strong physical presence and frightening speed, Davies is a fantastic one-v-one defender (as you can see above) - making the most tackles against dribblers (43) in the Bayern squad while only being dribbled past 13 times this season, which isn't half bad for someone learning on the job. 

His ability to perform at the highest level at both ends of the pitch has seen the 19-year-old shine in some of the Bavarian's biggest games thus far. He was vastly credited for shutting down Dortmund's dynamic duo of Jadon Sancho and Achraf Hakimi in Der Klassiker back in November - finishing the game with seven tackles, two interceptions and two key passes - in what was a breakout performance for the teen after struggling for regular minutes under Kovac.

Stout but also electric displays became a regular occurrence under Flick - starring in the Champions League fixture away at Red Star Belgrade and the last-gasp defeat to Borussia Monchengladbach in December before putting in, arguably, his finest performance in a Bayern shirt since his 2018 arrival, against Spurs.

Although it was a bit of a damp squib, that shouldn't take away from what was an Alphonso masterclass that night. The battle between the Canada international and Kyle Walker-Peters down the Lilywhites' right was a pretty obvious mismatch of talents, and despite the former being three years younger than his Tottenham counterpart, it did look a little bit 'man against boy' in Davies' favour.

After fortuitously setting up Thomas Muller with an effort that cannoned off the post, Davies continued to dominate the left flank - often showing off his remarkable recovery speed to stop Son-Heung min and Lucas Moura, who are no slouches by the way, in their tracks when the away side countered.

When the 90 minutes were up, the teenager had completed over ​90​% of his passes, completed eight dribbles, made five tackles and technically had two assists.

Nonetheless, it was an eye-opening display from the Canadian and he's swiftly become a key part of Flick's renaissance at the Allianz Arena. 

From his relatively small sample size in European football, one thing's for sure: this kid is no Freddy Adu.

Davies truly is a generational talent and is already the poster-boy for Canadian football. After becoming the youngest ever to represent Canada in 2016, Davies - who plays further forward under manager John Herdman - has gone onto score five goals in 17 appearances for the national team, guiding his country to their first win over the USA in 34 years in 2019.

Not only has Davies swiftly become one of the world's leading full-backs in a matter of months, his heroics on the field and maturity off it means it won't be long until he's recognised as a sporting icon in his homeland.

While many would put the likes of Andy Robertson and Jordi Alba ahead of the Bayern star at the moment, there's little doubting that the teen from humble beginnings has the potential to be superior to both. 

A superstar in the making.