The title ‘Il va’, which names this series on the players who will be at the World Cup in Qatar, could not be more symbolic than in the case of Alphonso Davies. For the Canadian left-back and Bayern Munich striker, participating in the biggest national team tournament on the planet is a testament to how supporting refugees can transform lives.

Davies is the son of Liberians. Although it was the first African country to achieve independence and carry the idea of ​​freedom in its own name (Liberia means “land of the freedmen”), the territory has been marked by a series of conflicts and civil wars. The second (between 1999 and 2003) led to the player’s parents fleeing to a refugee camp in Ghana, where he was born in 2000. Five years later, the family moved to Canada through a resettlement program.

“I often wonder where I would have been if I had stayed there (in the refugee camp) and not taken advantage of the opportunities I had through resettlement. I don’t think I could have gotten to where I am today,” the player explained in an interview with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) website.

The entry into football was made with the support of another program: Free Footie, which encourages the practice of sport by children and young people without resources in the Canadian city of Edmonton. From there, his talent allowed everything to go very quickly. At 14, he had already caught the eye of Vancouver Whitecaps FC, with whom he would sign his first professional contract at 15 and, at 16, he would become the youngest player to play for Canada’s adult national team.

Davies quickly caught the eye of scouts from Bayern, where he moved in 2019. Moving back to left-back, he quickly conquered his space and played an important role in a season in which the German club conquered everything he disputed.

Quick, dribbling and gifted with good game vision, 22-year-old Davies was the big name for Team Canada alongside Jonathan David in Concacaf qualifying and helped the country end a 36-year hiatus without participating in the World Cups.

The first footballer to sign with the UNHCR to be the organ’s ambassador, he also has another passion: music. Under the codename Phonzy, he often ventures out as a rapper. He records the songs in his own studio and posts them on social media.