By Aline Louzano

Participating in a World Cup is the main goal of any football player. This path is already naturally difficult and full of pitfalls, however, for some this road is even more difficult. This is the case of Alphonso Davies, star of Canada, who was born in a refugee camp in Ghana.

His parents, Victoria and Debeah Davies, are Liberians and lived in the capital Monrovia when the Second Liberian Civil War, which killed an estimated 50,000 people over four years, broke out. In an interview with a German publication, Debeah said he had only two options: take up arms or flee. “It was hard to live because sometimes the only way to survive is to carry weapons. We had no interest in shooting guns. So we decided to run away,” he said.

So in 1999, the two traveled 1,531 km, crossing the whole of Ivory Coast, until they arrived at the Buduburam refugee camp in Ghana to live in a mud house. Alphonso Davies was born in the colony on November 2, 2000 and lived there for five years.

In 2005, the family was approved in a resettlement program in Canada and emigrated to the North American country. There they settled in Edmonton, Alberta. Even far from the war, the difficulties persisted and Alphonso was responsible for caring for his brothers while his parents worked.

And it was through a social project that football entered his life. He was enrolled by his parents in the Free Footie, a sports incentive program for young people who cannot afford travel, equipment and registration for competitions.

From there, everything went very quickly. He was drafted at age 14 to play for the Vancouver Whitecaps and, about to turn 16, he was brought into the team’s main roster. He made his Major League Soccer (MLS) debut on July 16, 2016, aged 15 years, 8 months and 15 days, being the second youngest player to play a game in the league, behind only Freddy Abu.

In two years in the league, the left-back has scored 12 goals in 81 games. The strong performances caught the eye of a Bayern Munich scout, who bought him in 2018 for 18.7 million euros, making it the most expensive sale in the North American league. He won 12 titles with the Germans, including the Champions League for the 2019-20 season. Having played for Canada’s youth teams since the age of 14, he only obtained his citizenship in June 2017, a week before making his senior team debut.

As the team’s main name, he led Canada to its second World Cup, after a 36-year absence from the competition. With a consistent campaign, the country secured the standings a round clear and finished the Concacaf qualifiers in first place, with 28 points.

However, the dazzling success did not make him forget his origins and his struggles. Aware of her power of influence, she supported a Canadian government campaign, called Together to Learn, to promote access to quality education for refugees around the world.

He was named a Goodwill Ambassador by UNHCR, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in 2021, being the first footballer to receive the title.

“I want people to know how important it is to help refugees wherever they are – whether in camps or in towns; in neighboring or resettlement countries such as Canada. Refugees need our support to survive, but also to access education and sports, so they can realize their potential and truly thrive.