Alphonso Davies has been named as the new captain of the Canada men’s national team ahead of Copa America.
New head coach Jesse Marsch has confirmed the Bayern Munich defender as his new captain with Stephen Eustaquio, of Porto, the vice-captain.
“Alphonso is a young and experienced professional who has all the tools to be an excellent captain,” Marsch said.
“He has been in the spotlight from a young age and handled it very well, I know that he is up to the challenge of taking on a more expanded role with more responsibility.
“Stephen is also a great leader who has already formed a partnership with Alphonso, along with the leadership council, that will lead us into a home FIFA World Cup in 2026.”
Alphonso Davies named #CANMNT Captain.
Stephen Eustáquio selected as vice-captain.
MORE: https://t.co/gZ17F5MSBc pic.twitter.com/hdSlhCDFF0
— CANMNT (@CANMNT_Official) June 17, 2024
Davies is a four-time Canada Soccer Player of the Year and holds a number of records including being the youngest player to debut and score for the country.
Eustaquio has featured 37 times for his national team and is the most recent Canada Soccer Player of the Year.
Davies is welcoming the challenge that comes with leading a team both on and off the field.
“I’m very proud. I hold myself to a high standard and the team does as well. I want to show my leadership on and off the pitch and definitely try to lead the right way,” Davies said.
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While Davies has coveted the captaincy for over a year, the idea of being named captain came to fruition not long after Marsch was hired.
“(Davies) has a real presence and gravity to his personality and to who he is. We know he’s still young and that he’s not a finished product as a captain. But I think the guys look up to him, that he’s an inspiring leader,” Marsch said.
Marsch and Davies had the kind of in-depth and direct conversations Davies rarely has in Canada camp. Marsch challenged him to understand what leading a team would actually look like. To do that, the coach forced Davies to also better understand what it means to represent Canada at important tournaments.
On Monday, Davies finally revealed what he told Marsch when pressed on the question.
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“Being in a refugee camp and coming to a country like Canada, it means a lot,” Davies said. “Even though I wasn’t born (in Canada), I felt like I was I was born in Canada because of how young I came. Definitely, being a Canadian is like having a chip on your shoulder. Because, especially in the world of football, most people don’t think Canadians can play football. So every time we go out there, we want to prove the world wrong, and that we can play the game of football.”
Davies is relishing taking on the armband (Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images
Davies acknowledged that while he’s not one of the more vocal players on the team and barely delivers team speeches (“I need to work on those,” Davies said with a smile) he’s focused on changing that.
“After (Canada’s recent 4-0 friendly loss to the Netherlands), a lot of players’ heads were down. Behind the scenes, I told them to keep their heads high because at the end of the day, we were playing one of the best teams in the world,” Davies said.
He can learn from having played under some of the most celebrated captains in the world for Bayern Munich, such as Manuel Neuer.
“It’s the mindset they have: Willing to put in an extra shift, willing to motivate the team and fight for the team, especially when we come to big games,” Davies said of what he learned from Bayern captains.
And so for now, Davies said his leadership style will be based of motivation and accountability.
“Doing what I need to do to help the team and (the team) obviously telling me to do more if I’m slacking,” Davies said.
Canada kick off their Copa America campaign against defending champions Argentina on Thursday before games against Peru and Chile follow in Group A.
‘The unquestioned face of CANMNT’
Alphonso Davies now becomes the unquestioned face of Canada’s men’s national team. Yes, he has long been the team’s best player and the closest thing to a household name in Canadian soccer.
Yet he has been shielded from the media at times, especially through the 2022 World Cup. Given his age and the veterans such as Atiba Hutchinson that had been on the team for longer than him, Davies was more comfortable staying in the background and not being part of Canada’s leadership committee.
But after the World Cup, Davies grew warm to the idea of leading Canada in a new way. He has coveted the role of captain since Qatar and sees it as an opportunity to put his stamp on the team and utlilize the experience he has gained playing alongside the world’s best at Bayern Munich.
The trophies he’s won and the experience he gained could help a Canada team looking to take the next step in their evolution under Jesse Marsch.
Stephen Eustaquio might have all the qualities of a typical leader, but Marsch’s plan to name Davies captain showcases just how much turnover there has been and likely will continue to be in the squad and their philosophy post-John Herdman.
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(Rene Nijhuis/MB Media/Getty Images)
Source link : https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5570300/2024/06/17/canada-captain-alphonso-davies/
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Publish date : 2024-06-17 14:33:45
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