EDMONTON -- It's a great time to be Alphonso Davies.
The Edmonton soccer star held a Zoom call with media before FC Bayern Munich begins its Bundesliga season next week, but it's hard to forget the season that just finished.
"Every time I think about it, it puts a smile on my face," Davies says of winning the Champions League, the world's most prestigious club competition.
Bayern Munich were the most dominant soccer team post-COVID-19 lockdown, and Davies has been a mainstay in the starting lineup.
The German giants won their two domestic competitions before putting up an impressive display at the European stage, including the 8-2 thrashing of Lionel Messi's FC Barcelona.
"Messi is one of the best players in the world, if not the best player in the world. Looking up to him when you're young and then playing against him was very nerve wracking for me," Davies said from his home in Munich. "Especially when he'd come up on my side…but I tried to stay calm. Growing up I watched Messi all the time…me going up against him was just a dream come true."
Bayern defeated Paris Saint Germain 1-0 in the Champions League final, and Davies, at 19, became the first male Canadian to win the competition.
"It's just exciting for a young player like myself," he said. "I'm very happy that I can win the Champions League."
After the final in Lisbon, Davies called his family back in Edmonton on FaceTime to celebrate.
When he was asked what happened later that night, Davies could not contain his excitement. He held an Instagram Live where he said he'd like Canadian rapper Drake to follow him. Minutes later…it happened.
"[Drake] sent me a message after and said, 'Congrats. Congrats, king.'…I was so excited."
EDMONTON IS 'HOME TO ME'
It's been a great year for Davies on the professional level, but he misses home.
The 19-year-old hasn't been in Edmonton in about eight months, famously asking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau if he could come home for a week after the Champions League win.
"I just wanna see my little brothers, my little sister; my mom and my dad … Being in Edmonton, obviously I grew up there. It’s home to me."
Davies recounted growing up in Alberta's capital and having to play soccer indoors because of the constant snow and cold weather, but looking back, he's thankful he persisted.
Going into the new season, he says he wants to improve some skills like defending, crossing and finishing, but at just 19, the sky is the limit for Davies.
