Bayern's Alphonso Davies named Canada's Player of the Year for second time

Topics: Bayern Munich, Alphonso Davies, Canada National Team, Bundesliga

The Bayern star, who became the youngest ever recipient of the prize two years ago, has been again recognized by his nation after a highly successful season with die Roten.

It's pretty amazing, but it was only four years ago that a Ghanaian-born youngster named Alphonso Davies made his professional debut for Vancouver Whitecaps on June 1, 2016 in the first leg of the Canadian Championship and followed that up by being given a full start in the second leg against Ottowa Fury FC.

A month and a half later, he became the second youngest player (after fellow native Ghanaian Freddy Adu) to feature in MLS when he appeared for the Whitecaps on July 16th, a day after signing a full contract with the side. In 2017, after gaining full Canadian citizenship - where he'd lived since the age of five after arriving with his family, who had fled to Ghana during the Second Liberian Civil War - he quickly joined the senior team and began breaking records at that year's CONCACAF Gold Cup. These included: becoming the youngest ever player to score for the Canadian men's national team, the youngest ever player to score for any side at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, and the first ever player born in the 2000s to score at a major international tournament (as he was only 16 years old at that time).

Davies was eligible to play for both Liberia and Ghana due to his parents being from the former country and his being born in the latter, but certainly Canada was very happy he opted to choose them after receiving full citizenship in 2017.

Not surprisingly, his excellent form led to a move to German titans Bayern Munich in 2018, and after completing the MLS season with Vancouver, he joined up with the squad in January 2019. Davies took to the German top flight like a proverbial duck to water, and it did not take long for him to grab his first Bundesliga goal: on March 17, he scored as die Roten cruised to a 6-0 victory over Mainz and set a club record in the process to become, at the time, the team's youngest ever goal-scorer.

The 2018/2019 season saw him win a league double in his first term, but the 2019/2020 term would be even better, as Bayern would go on to win their second treble, and Davies's performance against Barcelona would help him cement his position as one of the best left-backs in the world.

It was his assist for fellow defender Josuha Kimmich - after leaving Barcelona's Nelson Semedo humiliated and on flat the pitch (literally) that had everyone talking, and after becoming Canada's first ever national player to win the Champions League, it's no surprise that he clinched his second Canada Men's Player of the Year prize this year. That's after, mind, you, becoming the youngest ever recipient of the big prize to win it in 2018. And have we mentioned he just turned 20 only last month?

His coach, Hansi Flick, was certainly happy to have the young star back after a long injury lay-off, as he made his return during Bayern's comprehensive 2-0 win over Russian outfit Lokomotiv Moscow to wrap up their Champions League group stage campaign on Wednesday. Given that he's been out for months, he didn't play the entire match, but he certainly has not lost any of that searing pace that gave Barcelona's defenders and opposing wingers nightmares during Bayern's famous 8-2 demolition of the Spanish powerhouse last season.

After impressing during the team's final group stage Champions League tie a few days ago, Bayern fans are likely to see Davies make his highly anticipated return to league action this Saturday, as die Roten travel to face Union Berlin and seek to get back to winning ways following their entertaining three-all draw with RB Leipzig last week: