The Bundesliga season is over. So, Bayern Munich’s Canadian star fullback, Alphonso Davies, will have some time to kick back in Edmonton, right?
Wrong.
Davies’s appearance as a mentor at a soccer camp for kids held Tuesday bat Viktoria Soccer Club — sponsored by ATG Sports Management — will be his sole public appearance in Edmonton this summer. And it’s not because he doesn’t want to do more — he just doesn’t have the time. Between commitments for Bayern Munich and the Canadian national soccer program, Davies’s true “off-season” lasts about… a week. That’s the life of a soccer star; their season stretches longer than any other major sport, and their national-team commitments are greater than any other team sport.
I asked him if he envies another Edmonton star — Connor McDavid — and the couple of months he gets for an off-season.
“We play different sports. They play more games than us during the season [soccer teams play a max of two games a week], and him having that much time is related to the sport he plays.
“For me, we have a short off-season. But, I try to take everything in and try to come home and see the people I love and put on these camps for the kids. Growing up, having camps like this was truly, truly, amazing.”
On Saturday, he leaves Edmonton to join the Canadian national team as it prepares for Nations League matches. His time in his hometown is limited to one week. And yesterday marked the only time he can meet with the media during his time in Edmonton.
But, each time he comes back, memories are stirred. And, while he never played for Viktoria, he played a lot of matches in the facility close to Mark Messier Trail and 137th Avenue.
“I played here, not necessarily on this pitch, but on the other pitch. I had a lot of games over there, a lot of rivalries against other teams. Just growing up, playing in this facility. It brings back a lot of memories when I step in here.”
