Alphonso Davies was named the best men's player in CONCACAF for 2021 on Monday night, and his week may get even better.
The Canadian speedster beat compatriot Jonathan David, American stars Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie, Napoli and Mexico winger Hirving "Chucky" Lozano, and West Ham's Jamaican striker Michail Antonio to the award, which was announced in a ceremony in Miami.
Davies' excellence with Bayern Munich, with whom he won the Bundesliga, DFL Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup in 2021, helped him claim the CONCACAF honour. Additionally, the 21-year-old was key to Canada's historic 2021 in which the team was undefeated in all 13 games he featured in.
"I'm happy that I've received this award, especially knowing that there's some really good players in the CONCACAF," Davies said on Tuesday in Munich. "The award is not just to me, it's to the team around me. I'm happy my teammates can be there for me on the pitch and credit goes to them."
The good news continued on Tuesday as Davies was cleared to play in the first leg of Bayern's Champions League quarterfinal against Villarreal, live on DAZN on Wednesday. He has missed all of 2022 so far, for both club and country, after being diagnosed with myocarditis following a bout with COVID-19 in early January. The condition kept Davies from doing any physical activity for several weeks before he resumed training last month.
"When I got the news about my heart, it was devastating," he said. "It's about my health. But here at Bayern, the medical staff is top. Not being able to be on the pitch with my teammates, with the national team, was annoying but I understand that health comes first. I had all the faith that the team could do it without me because we have quality in the team, as we've seen. I'll be back soon and I'm excited for that."
Bayern manager Julian Nagelsmann confirmed that Davies will travel for Wednesday's match, hinting that the Edmontonian could even start in Spain.
"Alphonso Davies will be in the squad, and the results of his medical mean that he has been cleared to start," Nagelsmann said. "We will make a decision over the course of the day. In general, I am leaning towards having him in the starting XI."