Canada World Cup hopeful Alphonso Davies has been hit with an injury with less than a week to the kick off of the tournament.
The Canada international suffered a significant blow to his World Cup hopes after he limped off during Bayern Munich’s clash against Hertha Berlin.
The full back was substituted off in the 64th minute of Bayern’s 3-2 win over the Berlin team in the Bundesliga and was replaced by Lucas Hernandez.
He appeared to pull up as he attempted to steal the ball from Hertha Berlin striker Marco Richter. He eventually ended his pursuit and immediately called to be taken off.
Alphonso Davies limped off the field, holding the back of his leg in a worrying sight for both Canada and Bayern fans.
Bayern manager Julian Nagelsmann said in his post-match news conference that he would know more on Sunday on the extent of Davies’ injury.
The injury comes just 18 days before Canada kick starts its World Cup campaign and the team is now left sweating over Davies’ health.
He was set to make his debut at the tournament but may now miss out on the opportunity entirely.
Canada, ranked 41st in the world, opens its World Cup campaign November 23 against second ranked Belgium in Qatar in its first appearance at the tournament since 1986.
Alphonso Davies Injury Struggles
The latest injury comes a month after he was sidelined after being accidentally kicked by Jude Bellingham in Bayern Munich’s 2-2 draw with Borussia Dortmund.
A statement released by Bayern Munich after a scan was conducted on the injury confirmed that the ‘FC Bayern defender Alphonso Davies suffered a cranial bruise in the 2-2 draw at Borussia Dortmund’.
‘The 21-year-old [Davies] is feeling good in the circumstances but sat out training on Sunday,’ added the Bayern statement.
Davies was caught in the face by the boot of Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham shortly before the break and had to be taken off.
He released a video on Instagram saying, ‘I just want to say thank you everyone for the nice messages and I’m looking forward to being to back on the pitch soon. Thank you.’
He had made his return to the Bayern starting line-up this season after missing much of a last term with a heart condition.
Following a bout of Covid-19, the Canadian developed symptoms of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle.
The illness forced Davies to miss nearly six months of Bayern’s campaign last season as well as Canada’s final six CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers.
The latest injury crisis may likely ruled out Alphonso Davies from the 2022 World Cup. This may be a major blow to Canada as Davies was a top World Cup hopeful for the team.
Alphonso Davies
Alphonso Boyle Davies, born November 2, 2000, is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a left-back or winger for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich and the Canada national team.
He is regarded as one of the best full-backs in the world due to his pace, dribbling and creativity.
Davies was the first player born in the 2000s to play in a Major League Soccer match. He joined Bayern in January 2019 from MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps FC on a contract lasting until 2023 for a then-record MLS transfer fee.
Davies was named the Bundesliga Rookie of the Season for 2019–20.
In that season he also was part of the team winning the continental treble after Bayern won the Bundesliga, the UEFA Champions League and the DFB-Pokal.
