Canada's Alphonso Davies has made history as the first Canadian international to win a men's UEFA Champions League title after going 90 minutes and helping keep a clean sheet in Bayern Munich's 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday in Lisbon.
The 19-year-old former Vancouver Whitecaps prodigy is also the fourth Concacaf player to accomplish the feat, joining Trinidad and Tobago's Dwight Yorke (Manchester United, 1999), Mexico's Rafa Marquez (Barcelona, 2006) and Costa Rica's Keylor Navas (Real Madrid, 2016-18) on one of the most exclusive lists in the region.
Additionally, Davies becomes the ninth-youngest starting player to win the UEFA Champions League, according to the Whitecaps team website. And according to the CBS Sports Network broadcast, he is also the youngest ever defender to accomplish the feat.
Afterward, Davies had emotional words for his Canadian fans on CBS's broadcast.
"I just want to say thank you guys for supporting back home," Davies said. "I don't know, this is for you guys, I guess. Who would've ever thought — a guy from Canada, playing at a club like Bayern Munich, winning Champions League? Never would've guessed it. I think two years, if someone had told me this, I would've said, 'Yeah, you're lying.' But I mean, dreams do come true. And I just want to say thank you everyone for supporting me back home.
Davies created a couple chances from his left back spot before halftime, nearly connecting with Robert Lewandowski on an outswinging cross a few minutes before the break. After the interval, his responsibilities were primarily defensive as the likes of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe flooded forward in search of an equalizer, to no avail.
Davies is the first Concacaf player to have played in MLS prior to appearing in the Champions League final, and just the second Concacaf player to play in any major European final after starting his pro career in MLS. Clint Dempsey was the other, when he came on as a substitute in Fulham's extra-time loss to Atletico Madrid in the 2010 UEFA Europa League final.
He has been a regular starter at left back for Bayern Munich since October 2019, and Sunday marked his 43rd overall appearance. He has three goals and nine primary assists while helping his side win their second treble in club history.
Bayern Munich acquired Davies in a record transfer from the Vancouver Whitecaps in July 2018. He arrived in Munich after completing the 2018 MLS season with Vancouver and he was hoisting a trophy on his Bayern debut in a friendly in January 2019.
