The long wait is over! It was late March when Alphonso Davies tore his cruciate ligament. FC Bayern had to do without their Canadian star on the left flank for 261 days – over eight months. In Tuesday evening’s Champions League match at home Sporting Lisbon, the 25-year-old made his eagerly anticipated comeback.
Alphonso Davies: ‘I’m happy to be back’
Davies returned to the training pitch in November and head coach Vincent Kompany quickly welcomed him back into team training. The initial plan was mainly to include Davies in the squad against Sporting to get him used to Bayern’s matchday routines again – it was the first time in 269 days that he’d been in the FCB squad for a competitive game. “I’m happy to be back,” declared the Canadian international beforehand. “I’ll sit on the bench. Whether I get minutes is down to the coach.”
Substitution in 87th minute
Kompany made that decision after precisely 87 minutes of play. The head coach himself had said before kick-off: “We’re really pleased that Phonzy is back. He’ll help us for the rest of the season. He won’t play a big part yet today. He’s done everything to come back. He’s someone who comes back from injury stronger.”
Applause after tackle
But then Davies trotted, ran and stretched extensively – and got to play the final few minutes of the 3-1 win on his beloved left wing. The Südkurve greeted him with a particularly loud “Davies” as he came on – and with applause for a tackle to win the ball deep in the Sporting half. Phonzy was grinning all the way to the stadium roof as he celebrated not only the victory against Sporting on a wonderful European night, but also a very personal, emotional comeback.
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