FC Barcelona refused to sign Alphonso Davies because they did not trust him to make a breakthrough in Europe. FC Bayern later struck.
In 2019, FC Bayern snapped up. The German record champions paid a whopping ten million euros for the then unknown teenager from Canada. Good for Bayern: FC Barcelona didn’t want the “Roadrunner” before.
Former Barça striker Hristo Stoichkov explained in an interviewTUDNthat he had recommended a Davies transfer to the Catalans. At the time, the 56-year-old was working as a scout for Barça in America.
“I recommended Alphonso Davies and they said ‘no’ to me. He plays in MLS and he’s Canadian,” Stoichkov revealed. The left foot was therefore not believed to be able to play at the highest level.
A fatal misjudgment, as has now been shown. Davies moved to Bayern Munich, where he was converted to left-back and is now one of the best players in the world in this position. With an estimated market value of 70 million euros, he even ranks first among left-backs – ahead of Liverpool’s Andrew Robertson (65 million euros).
Above all, his incredible speed quickly weighed down Davies’ breakthrough. The 21-year-old has already completed 123 competitive games for Bayern. He made 32 appearances for Canada and qualified with the national team for the World Cup in Qatar. After 1986, it is only the second World Cup participation for the North Americans.
At FC Barcelona, on the other hand, you will be quite annoyed. In the last few months, the left back had been feverishly looking for a successor to old master Jordi Alba. After all, a possible candidate seems to have been found with homegrown Alex Baldé. The 18-year-old Spaniard has meanwhile ousted Alba. In addition, Marcos Alonso was recently signed by Chelsea. An Alphonso Davies in top form would also be an upgrade for Barça.
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This article was originally published on 90min.com/de as.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
