Davila puts down new roots
He once signed a five-year deal with Chelsea, now Ulises Davila has risen again with the Phoenix. Phillip Rollo reports.
Growing up in Mexico, Ulises Davila’s idea of making it in the football world was going to Europe and signing with a professional club. So when his agent notified him that his club, Chivas Guadalajara, had already agreed a deal for him to join Premier League heavyweights Chelsea after an impressive showing at the Under-20 World Cup in 2011, he was in dreamland.
‘‘I remember I was at the Under-20 World Cup and I was doing very well,’’ said Davila, whose Mexico team made it all the way through to the semifinals.
‘‘I was playing good tournaments and my agent and Chivas, which was my team at the time, said some teams are looking at you, you’re doing well.
‘‘Then my agent said everything is done and I said ‘I don’t believe you’. I didn’t believe it. He showed me the contract that Chelsea was agreed and everything. Everything is done, he said ‘you just have to say yes’. It was yes for sure.
‘‘It was the big moment where I was really happy. I had a dream to go to Europe one day because for Mexican players it’s so difficult to go out to Europe so it was a big, big change and a dream come true.’’
The problem is, Davila was unable to attain a visa to play football professionally in England as he did not have any senior national team appearances to his name. So, he was sent out on loan.
It happened every season for the duration of his fiveyear contract. He would begin pre-season with Chelsea, where he made good friends with Spanish-speaking players like Juan Mata and Fernando Torres, but then he would be shipped out to another league across Europe.
‘‘It wasn’t just me, it would be eight to 10 players who would go on loan. We’d train like one month, play some friendly games then everyone would start to move, like Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne.’’
Davila went to Vitesse in the Netherlands, Sadabell, Cordoba and Tenerife in Spain and lastly, Vitoria in Portugal.
But even though he never managed to play in the Premier League, he has no regrets.
‘‘All the Mexican players want to go to Europe and I wasn’t thinking ‘oh no I’m not playing Chelsea’ I was just trying to do my best and I was enjoying it because I was still playing in Europe,’’ he said.
‘‘I had many offers to come back to Mexico but I said my dream is to play in Europe.
‘‘For sure it’s frustrating because that was my target, to play for Chelsea. But I’m not sad when I look back.
‘‘I try to be positive and look forward. Every year I went on loan I got better, I got more experience and I grew up as a football player and a person.
‘‘I’m proud of where I played because it was not easy to go from Mexico to adapt, learn English and then have to change club so I’m happy.’’
After his European dream was over, Davila returned to LigaMX and signed for Santos Laguna in 2015, where he spent three seasons before moving to Delhi Dynamos in the Indian Super League on a short-term deal.
He played under former Adelaide and Western Sydney coach Josep Gombau during his brief spell in India, and it was he who endorsed the 28-year-old Davila when Wellington Phoenix showed interest.
Although the A-League is a far cry from the Premier League, after many years of floating across various leagues around the world, Davila was sold on a move Down Under after speaking with Phoenix coach Ufuk Talay, who said he saw him as a key player. He signed a two-year deal.
With Sarpreet Singh moving to Bayern Munich, the Phoenix are in desperate need of a new playmaker to run the show and Davila, who will be the first Mexican to play in the league, is eager to shoulder that responsibility. Part of the reason he accepted this challenge was to help foster the other young players in the squad and because he wanted to tackle a major role.
‘‘I had a really good feeling because when I started to talk to Ufuk, the way he explained to me the way he wanted to play, the team he wanted to make, a young team and intensive that plays with the ball, I knew if I accepted I’d have a big role in the team and try and make the Wellington Phoenix a big club in Australia.
‘‘We saw the country and the city and saw everything was perfect, so I had a good feeling and we didn’t need to think two times, we just said yes.’’
Davila and his wife have quickly settled in Wellington. They are taking English language lessons twice a week and have already discovered a favourite Mexican restaurant, Viva Mexico, where they regularly dine as it reminds them of home.
Although he has signed a two-year deal, with his first child on the way he is already contemplating a long-term stay in New Zealand.
‘‘My objective is to be the champions of the A-League and I want to be one of the best players of the league.
‘‘I want to make history with the team and be an import player in the team.
‘‘After that, then we’ll see. But I’m very happy here and maybe we can stay longer.
‘‘At my age I’m not thinking about going back to Europe or Mexico, I just want to enjoy these two years and do my best. But for sure I want to be champions.
‘‘When I was young I was so worried about my future like if I played for the national team I could play for Chelsea, if I play for Chelsea I could play for the national team, but now I’m enjoying the present, which is Wellington Phoenix.’’
‘‘We’d train like one month, play some friendly games then everyone would start to move, like Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne.’’ New Phoenix midfielder Ulises Davila