Alphonso Davies Siap Perkuat Kanada Hadapi Afrika Selatan

Bintang Bayern Munich, Alphonso Davies, dipastikan siap kembali memperkuat tim nasional Kanada untuk menghadapi Afrika Selatan pada pertandingan babak gugur Piala Dunia 2026 di stadion tempat ia mengalami cedera ligamen lutut (ACL) setahun lalu.

Kembalinya bek kiri tersebut menjadi dorongan besar bagi Kanada setelah ia terpaksa melewatkan tiga pertandingan pertama di fase grup demi memulihkan kondisinya secara total.

Davies mengenang kembali momen cedera yang dialaminya di stadion tersebut pada Maret 2025 dan menyatakan kesiapannya untuk tampil kembali di lapangan.

"It could have happened anywhere. Coming back to the stadium, I get to finish something I started a year ago in March. I really enjoy playing in this stadium.

The first time, it was beautiful. It was cut short, but that happens. It’s football," kata Alphonso Davies seperti dilansir dari akun @iMiaSanMia.

Pemain berusia 25 tahun itu juga mengakui bahwa menyaksikan perjuangan rekan-rekan setimnya dari pinggir lapangan selama fase grup merupakan pengalaman yang sangat berat baginya.

"Obviously, it was painful [to watch the first three games from the sidelines]. The only thing you want to do is play football. That’s what I’m really passionate about.

The first game, watching it, I was eager to be on the pitch. Second game, even more so. The third game, I went to the coach before the game and asked him, ‘Do you think I can get a couple of minutes?’

He could have said, ‘Yeah, we’ll just throw you in there,’ but obviously he cares about me and the team as human beings as well, so he sat me down…and I thought about it, and I said, ‘He’s right.’ It was kind of hard to hear," ujar Alphonso Davies mengenai komunikasinya dengan tim pelatih.

Keputusan untuk memarkir Davies selama fase grup diambil oleh tim kepelatihan demi menjaga karier jangka panjang sang pemain.

"We were fairly certain early on that playing in the group phase was unlikely. For me to go tell our best player, and a guy that is a huge piece of everything that we do, that we have to wait, was painful. But we’ve done this in the best interests of Alphonso and his career and his health, so it’s nice now that we can have a plan that leads to him being back on the pitch," tutur Jesse Marsch, pelatih kepala Kanada.

Marsch menilai kehadiran Davies dalam kondisi bugar sepenuhnya akan mengubah dinamika dan meningkatkan kepercayaan diri tim di sisa turnamen.

"Now he’s truly available. We have Alphonso back and healthy and ready to perform, I think it’s a big moment for the team and a big boost for the team. He’s a big X factor for us. Being on the pitch, the belief they have in him, the belief he has in himself, I think changes the possibility of what the potential of our team is, and what we can do in this tournament," kata Jesse Marsch menambahkan.