Davies didn’t want to shade

DOHA, Qatar | Alphonso Davies is the undisputed star of the maple leaf team, and as such he is jealously guarded at Canada Soccer. On Tuesday, he finally met the media.

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On Sunday, after scoring the country’s first-ever World Cup goal, Davies spoke briefly to the official broadcaster, but he didn’t stop in front of Canadian reporters waiting in the mixed zone.

He explained that he didn’t want all the attention to be on him after his achievement.

“Yes, the goal was important, but I wanted to talk about the team. I was happy to score, but we lost the match. »

“I wanted to let the dust settle a bit before talking about this goal. I was devastated to know that we were eliminated,” continued the star player.

Long from a refugee camp

We must remember the story of the young 22-year-old star who made the heyday of Bayern Munich, in the Bundesliga.

He was born in a refugee camp in Ghana, after his parents fled the war in Liberia. It was in 2005 that the family moved to Canada to settle in Alberta.

His parents, who are in Doha, attended his historic net and Davies spoke about it with a touch of emotion.

“When I scored, my mother cried. Leaving a refugee camp to come to Canada and then score [à la Coupe du monde], it is an exploit. »

Hostled at celebrations

When Davies was asked to recount how he experienced the most important goal in Canadian men’s soccer, he of course described the sequence of events that led to that magical header after just 67 seconds against Croatia. .

But it’s mostly what happened afterwards that makes the scene even more interesting.

« When I made my head I looked to the left and saw my teammates running towards me and it was an amazing feeling. The guys were pulling my jersey, pushing me, I even got headbutted. »

Jonathan Osorio, who met the media before Davies, also had his story on this achievement.

“It was amazing, it’s the kind of moment that gives you goosebumps and you remember for the rest of your life. It shows our progress and the sacrifices we made to be here,” said the midfielder.

“We inspire a lot of young people in our respective cities. Young Canadians have to dream of going beyond the first round and not just playing at the World Cup,” added the 30-year-old Torontonian.

In Confidence for the penalty

As The newspaper hadn’t been able to speak to Davies after the match against Belgium, there was obviously talk about his penalty kick which was blocked by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

Many wondered why it was he, a full-back, who showed up at the point of penalty rather than Jonathan David, a striker who scores with regularity in the French Ligue 1.

“I took the penalty shot because I felt confident. I introduced myself at the point of penaltyI chose a direction and the goalkeeper read my intention correctly,” he explained.

“Yes, I went over the images in my head in the evening, but I couldn’t do it for too long to move on to the next game. »

Become the leader

After this World Cup, there may be some turnover in the Canadian squad.

Veterans like Atiba Hutchinson, 39, Steven Vitoria, 35, and Milan Borjan, 35, are at risk of giving way to younger players ahead of the next round of the 2026 Worlds, which will take place in Canada, the United States and in Mexico.

Does Davies want to become the leader of this team, and, why not, the captain to succeed Hutchinson?

“These guys went through several qualifying cycles before playing at the World Cup, they have a lot of experience,” replied Davies cautiously.

« I want to be a leader, help my teammates and I want to do it in any way possible, » he said.