Canadian Davies makes, adds to soccer history
Canadian Alphonso Davies’ remarkable year continued Thursday when he became the first North American player ever to be voted onto the FIFPRO World 11.
It was a vote of approval from his peers. FIFPRO which represents some 65,000 pro soccer players worldwide, said 15,878 took part in voting for the 16th edition of the men’s World 11.
The 20-year-old Bayern Munich fullback was the first North American to make the initial list of 55 players with the most votes. He went one better Thursday at the Best FIFA Football Awards, joining the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos on the World 11.
“Christmas came early this year,” Davies said on social media. “Thank you to everyone who voted for me. Keep working hard and chasing your dreams.”
Davies edged Bayern teammate David Alaba by 275 votes, the closest race in positional voting. Davies is the third-youngest player to be voted onto the World 11.
Bayern teammates Robert Lewandowski and Joshua Kimmich also made this year’s top 11. So did Thiago Alcantara, who left Bayern for Liverpool after winning the Champions League.
Lewandowski, a prolific goal-scorer for the German champion, was named Best FIFA Men’s Player over Ronaldo and Messi. England defender Lucy Bronze, who joined Manchester City from France’s Lyon in 2020, took top women’s honours over Denmark’s Pernille Harder (Chelsea) and France’s Wendie Renard (Lyon).
It was a big night for Bayern. Manuel Neuer was named top goalkeeper while Hansi Flick was runner-up to Liverpool’s Juergen Klopp for Best FIFA Men’s Coach. Club president President Herbert Hainer called it “a proud day for FC Bayern.”
“The fact that Lewandowski, Joshua Kimmich, Alphonso Davies and our former player Thiago were chosen for the World 11 shows the terrific overall performance of our team,” he said in a statement.
Ronaldo and Messi were voted onto the World 11 for a record 14th consecutive year. Ramos made the team for the 11th time.