Sky is the limit for Davies, says Whitecaps boss
Owen Hargreaves, whose name is nearly verboten in Canadian soccer circles, may have been part of what could be its biggest player success.
When Vancouver Whitecaps’ prodigy Alphonso Davies completed his transfer Tuesday to FC Bayern Munich, he signed with the same club that took a chance on the Calgary-born Hargreaves as a 16-year-old.
Hargreaves, who infamously drew the ire of Canada’s soccer fans by spurning the national team to play for England’s, starred for Bayern for seven seasons before moving to England.
“There is a familiarity there on their part, and there is another Canadian soccer player by the name of Owen Hargreaves who did quite well at Bayern,” said Whitecaps’ president Bob Lenarduzzi.
“I think that it played a part in it, but the part that played the most in it was Alphonso himself. If you look at his rise ... he never really had a phasing-in period. At every level,
he was one of the best players on the pitch, and for me, the exciting part of seeing him move on right now, is I think the ceiling is endless.”
The ink has dried on the deal that could reach a record US$22 million, the biggest transfer in Major League Soccer history.
Details of the agreement, which included a fixed fee and bonuses, were not disclosed by the club.
Davies, 17, will finish the season in Vancouver before moving to the Bundesliga club. It wasn’t a sticking point in negotiations.
Even if he were to suffer some kind of injury, the move would still go through.
“We felt that Bayern Munich was a fantastic fit for our organization and player,” said Caps’ COO Rachel Lewis. “It’s about more than the money. “Alphonso is one of the pride and joys of our organization. It’s important that it’s a place that he wants to go and a place that is going to provide a great home and opportunity for him.”
Davies will join one of the world’s biggest and most successful clubs. Bayern Munich is the winningest club in German football history, having won a record 28 national titles and 18 national cups.
They have won the UEFA Champions League five times, most recently in 2012-13, when they went on to capture the FIFA Club World Cup.
It took three weeks for the deal to be concluded, and there were several other suitors along the way, though the club wouldn’t reveal who.
French side Paris St-Germain reportedly bid US$16 million, while there was also strong interest from some Premier League teams in England.
Having Davies through the end of the season means the cash influx likely won’t be used to bring in another player immediately — especially since the team is bumping up against the salary cap — but the team said it has several other players targeted who could fill the void he’ll leave, and will look to do that during the January transfer window.