Alphonso Davies by Farhan Devji

Author:Farhan Devji
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ECW Press
Published: 2023-05-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

Mia San Mia (Part II)

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic — defined, in simplest terms, as the “worldwide spread of a new disease.” Caused by a new strain of the coronavirus, COVID-19 had already infected more than 118,000 people in 114 different countries at that point. There were more than 4,000 deaths.

As feared, it was very much just the beginning.

That same day, the NBA announced that it was suspending its season after a player tested positive for the virus. Two days later, the Bundesliga did the same. In the blink of an eye, sports came to a halt.

And so did the rest of the world.

Businesses were shut down. Borders were closed. Masks were mandated — when Davies’s contract extension was finally announced to the public, he and Bayern’s executives wore white face coverings as they posed for photos in a spaced-out boardroom.

Living in isolation, or small bubbles, and physical distancing from others became the norm. Many lives were lost.

Millions.

It was also a period of social unrest, triggered by the murder of George Floyd, a Black man, by a white police officer in Minneapolis. Protests for racial justice, in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, were held all over the world.

Sports seemed trivial.

But for some, they helped provide a little light in a time of darkness.

Following a two-month hiatus and a seven-day quarantine training camp, the Bundesliga became the first major sports league to return amidst the ongoing pandemic.

It certainly wasn’t a return to normalcy. A rigorous safety protocol was implemented in collaboration with local governments and medical experts. Matches would be played behind closed doors, without spectators. Players and staff would be tested regularly, travel to stadiums in multiple buses, and use multiple locker rooms to avoid congestion in small spaces. Coaches and other staffers would be required to wear masks and practise physical distancing.

It looked a little different, but it was a framework that would soon be emulated in various leagues around the sporting world. For now, though, all eyes were on Germany.

With all the other major sports leagues still suspended, the Bundesliga was under a greater microscope. Record TV ratings were reported.

And Davies delivered.

In Bayern’s second game back from the break, he had a goal and an assist against Eintracht Frankfurt. The game after that, he drew praise for helping Bayern keep a clean sheet in a top-of-the-table clash against Borussia Dortmund. And the game after that, he scored again, somehow dribbling through four Fortuna Düsseldorf defenders that had him surrounded — not unlike some of the goals he scored in MLS. He picked up right where he left off in the game against Chelsea. But he saved his best moment for an even bigger stage.

It was August 14, 2020. The UEFA Champions League quarterfinal. Bayern Munich vs. Barcelona. The first time Davies would face Lionel Messi, his childhood idol.

As it came in the midst of the pandemic, the game would be played without spectators. Huoseh, therefore, watched from back in Edmonton.

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