Bundesliga
Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies is eager to keep improving and winning after helping the side win the treble in a sensational breakout campaign in 2019/20, hailing the impact of teammate Robert Lewandowski and coach Hansi Flick.
Now in his second full season at the club, and fresh from adding the UEFA Super Cup and DFL Supercup to his collection of Bundesliga, DFB Cup and Champions League trophies, the 19-year-old is determined not to rest on his laurels.
bundesliga.com caught up with him ahead of the team's Matchday 3 encounter with Hertha Berlin for his thoughts on all things Bayern...
bundesliga.com: Congratulations on the Supercup triumph, the fifth title in three months. What do Bayern have that the others don't?
Davies: “The hard work in this team is top quality. Even though we've won these trophies, we want more and more, and each time we step on the field we want to show that we are out there to play football and to win games. This is what we're doing and we're happy that we can win the trophies that we're winning.”
Watch: Highlights of Bayern's 3-2 Supercup win over Dortmund
bundesliga.com: Why will the duel against BVB remain the decisive one for the rest of the season?
Davies: “Dortmund is a very good, young team and so are we. Every time we play Dortmund, it's always a good game and a tight, strong game. Playing that game was tough and I'm happy that we could come away with the win.”
bundesliga.com: Dortmund rely heavily on players like you. How do you rate their young generation with Erling Haaland, Jadon Sancho and Gio Reyna?
Davies: “All these players are great. They have a good young side full of young players and they are the future of the Bundesliga.”
bundesliga.com: You and your girlfriend have a YouTube channel together where you provide your fans with some personal insights. Who had the idea and what is your aim with this channel?
Davies: “First of all, I asked her as a joke to do a YouTube channel and she didn’t really want to do it at first, but then she thought about it more and it happened. The goal is to show the fun side of us that people don’t really get to see too often because they usually just see us on the pitch. That's why we made the channel.”
bundesliga.com: How do you come up with new ideas for the episodes and how much time do you two spend on it?
Davies: “It doesn’t take too long and shooting the video probably takes about 20 minutes. We search on YouTube for ideas and try to remake it into our own things.”
bundesliga.com: You're just 19 years old and Hansi Flick helped you to become one of the best left backs on this planet. Why is he such a good mentor for you?
Davies: “He's a good mentor and he talks to his players, especially his young players. He wants everybody to thrive at this club and him being the manager is good for everyone at this club. He's a down to earth guy and he was a player once, so he knows what we go through and how hard it is to play this game, especially with the schedule we have right now. We're playing every three days and it's not easy. It is truly a blessing that he's there for all the players.”
bundesliga.com: You're on the pitch every day with Lewandowski, probably the best player in the world at the moment. What sets him apart him? What do you take away from him?
Davies: “Lewandowski is a guy who scores goals for fun and he's a great player. The thing that upset most of us was that he didn't win the Ballon d’Or this year because they cancelled it. This year was his year because he won everything that there is to win at club level and he was the best goalscorer and best player. What I take away from him is his mentality and his will to always work to get better, to score goals, and to help the team to win.”
bundesliga.com: You also said, "I think it makes things easier if you don’t take yourself too seriously". How are you living out this mentality?
Davies: “I always look back on my story and think about where my family came from. We came to a great country like Canada and I'm grateful to play for a club like Bayern. Every day I just wake up with a smile on my face and I'm ready to put in the work. I don’t want to be sad or frowning all the time when I'm doing stuff because it just doesn’t make your day fun. Every time you get the opportunity, you should just smile and it brightens up your day a little bit more.”
Watch: All of Davies' goals and assists in 2019/20
bundesliga.com: What does it mean to you to be the first Canadian player to win the Champions League title?
Davies: “It means a lot to be the first Canadian and I hope that many more Canadians can do the same as well. Being the first one to do it just goes to show that you shouldn’t underestimate anyone, especially based on where they come from. I feel like there are some top players in Canada that can repeat what I did.”
bundesliga.com: If you had to explain to one of your friends in Canada what you love most about the Bundesliga, what would you tell them?
Davies: “The Bundesliga is for young players. There are a lot of good teams here and everyone can beat everyone. It's great quality football and you get a lot of playing time, especially as a young player. The coaches want to play their young players and they want to show off the young players, and the young players want to play and they want to show what they have as well.”