VANCOUVER, B.C. - WIt's well over the line, there is no video assistant referee review pending. Alphonso Davies will join FC Bayern Munich on the biggest transfer in MLS history. Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Bayern announced on Wednesday afternoon. The fixed transfer fee and additional compensation could total more than $22 million US.
The 17 year-old phenom will finish out the 2018 MLS campaign with Vancouver before leaving to join Bayern Munich during the 2019 January transfer window.
"Whenever you sell a player, you usually don't see them again," Coach Carl Robinson explained following training. "It was never in any doubt with me when I spoke to the Bayern guys. They were top top people. We know they are a top football club. When I spoke to them, there was never any doubt of anyone else being the right club for them. I think him and his representatives have made the right decision. I can speak nothing, but high praise for the Bayern guys."
Davies will turn 18 years-old on November 2. It is expected that Whitecaps FC will have to wait until January before they can receive transfer funds for their homegrown product.
"Being able to sign for a club like Bayern Munich is exciting. I’ve been dreaming about this since I was a kid," Davies told Vancouver media on Thursday. "Those are the guys that, you know, as a kid, I was looking up to. Watching them on TV, playing with them on FIFA. Getting to be able to meet them and being able to play on the team is just exciting."
While Davies was in Philadelphia to undergo medicals, and seal the final details of his blockbuster transfer. He was able to pick up a little insight during his brief visit.
"It was good," Davies said. "A couple of guys are really funny. I met the coaching staff. I didn’t get to meet the whole team, but the player I met was Javi Martinez. He’s an exciting guy, he welcomed me. He’s looking forward for me coming down in January."
Negotiations between Whitecaps FC and Bayern have been on-going for several weeks. Davies and his representatives were always involved in those discussions, and had most importantly agreed that Bayern Munich was the best place for his future development.
When Bayern Munich was first brought up, Davies knew this was where he wanted to be.
"I was excited, they have world-class players, a world class facility." Davies said. "Being able to be a part of that is really really exciting."
Davies will be under contract with FC Bayern Munich until June of 2023. That will provide plenty of time to learn from legends of the game, while also supplanting them when they move on from football. Davies will have all the opportunity in the world to learn, grow, and develop as an elite footballer. It's his time to take the next step.
"When you read out the names of the Munich players, the Ribery's, Robben's, Vidal's, and people like that. You want to learn from the best, and he will certainly be learning from the best." said Robinson.
What's unique about this particular transfer is that Davies is not going across the pond to Germany to train acclimate himself to all this Bavaria. He still has a job to do with Vancouver, as they look to improve on a 7-9-5 record and 9th spot in the western conference.
"He is a good kid, he's got his feet on the ground." Robinson said, describing Davies character. "He's humble, honest, and he's trustworthy. When the moment he come in, he had a smile on his face. You could not tell that he's just signed for Bayern Munich for $15 million quid, or whatever it is. It just seems another day for him, and that's just the way he is."
Whitecaps FC have 7 MLS home matches remaining, but it's unclear if Davies will be in the lineup on Saturday when Minnesota United FC visits B.C. Place. Robinson wasn't about to put the red carpet out for his superstar just because he's signed with Bayern Munich.
"No, no. The club shouldn't be asking me that." Robinson said, when pressed by Whitecaps FC's club reporter. "He's not trained for 8 or 9 days, barring one half session when I tried to sort of flummox you when he was here. He's done a lot of traveling the physical side, as well as the mental side. We'll see how he is tomorrow, it's nice to have him back."
When he is out on the pitch with Vancouver, you know he will relish in bursting down the flank, and cutting into the opposition box. He might want to put on a show. You'll recognize him in his familiar 67 kit, but that's going to change when he joins Bayern Munich.
"I would like to keep 67," Davies told RedNation Online. "I was told they don’t go that high. Right now I’m thinking of the number closest to 67 that I can take, probably 39."
Born in Ghana, raised in Edmonton, and developed in Vancouver. Davies is a perfect example of hard work, determination, and the fact that dreams can come true. It will be up to Davies and Bayern Munich to take him to the next heights of European football.
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