Quotes from Alphonso Davies

I am truly honored and humbled to have been selected as the co-winner for the 2020 Lou Marsh Trophy.

When I was younger, soccer was my life. I always wanted to play.

As a soccer player you want to perform, whether it's in front of 72,000 or even 1,000. You always want to be your best because you never know who's watching.

We came to a great country like Canada that took us in, which is amazing looking back at it. At that time, I didn't know if I wanted to play soccer or not. I didn't know what I was supposed to do with my life, but once I came to Canada and started watching it on TV, my dad and brother played and watching them play, I wanted to do that too.

I am really excited to be called into Canada Soccer's men's national team.

I'm being told I've become an inspiration to a lot of young soccer players in Edmonton and to me, that's just awesome.

The mentality of always wanting to win everything is in FC Bayern's DNA.

Growing up, I loved Messi. I love how he dribbles, how he plays the game, it just makes it look so easy and it makes it look so fun.

I'm happy that I'm getting more people looking at me.

Obviously being a young player I get caught out of position a lot and I'm happy to have the speed I have.

I just want to show my speed and my skills as a left back and it's a position where I can go forward and come back as well and help the team both defending and attacking.

It was really tough being 14 and moving away from home.

Teams approached my people and they relayed the messages to me. We sat down with Bayern Munich and as soon as I heard them, there was no hesitation that I wanted to join this team. I love playing for this club.

I'm a little bit nervous, but life comes with challenges and I'm ready to take on this one. To be able to sign for a club like Bayern Munich, it's exciting stuff.

You know, who would have thought a guy from Canada playing at a club like Bayern Munich and winning the Champions League? I never could have guessed it.

Being able to sign for a club like Bayern Munich is exciting. I've been dreaming about this since I was a kid. Those are the guys that - you know - as a kid, I was looking up to. Watching them on TV, playing with them on FIFA. Getting to be able to meet them and being able to play on the team is just exciting.

Being a left back is a very important role, I'm happy to play there. Every time I get the call for the national team or Bayern to play left back, I'm willing to do it.

Hansi Flick is a good guy all-round, everyone loves him, there's not really many negatives things you can say about Hansi.

Obviously Messi is one of the best players in the world, if not the best player in the world. Looking up to him when you're young and now playing against him, it was very nerve-racking for me - especially when he would come up on my side, my heart would be beating faster and faster.

Canada hasn't really been a top footballing country in the world, but I think the next generation of players coming through, I think we can really change that.

We came to Canada as refugees from Africa and worked hard for everything we have. I think my life can show people that a lot is possible if you stay true to yourself and don't let yourself be led astray.

There were rumors in the air that all these different clubs were looking at me but I didn't know which specific clubs. No one told me anything. And then I got a message: 'Bayern Munich want to meet you.' I was like: 'Oh my god. Really?' It was both exciting and scary. I just had to prove to myself that I could compete at this level.

Just looking back at what my family did for me, and where I came from, from nothing in Ghana... and my mom allowing me to come play soccer, keeping myself motivated is a little bit easier than usual.

I have to keep pushing and keep striving, and also keep being me on the field.