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      Chelsea signing Xavier Mbuyamba has been called the ‘new Van Dijk’ and was schooled by Barca at La Masia academy

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      BARCELONA’s loss might be Chelsea’s gain.
      The Blues have added towering defender Xavier Mbuyamba to their ranks, after he reportedly cancelled his contract with the La Liga giants.

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      Dutch defender Xavier Mbuyamba has been snapped up by ChelseaCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      And the 18-year-old Dutch defender comes with the some pedigree.
      Standing at 6ft 5in, not only is he a man-mountain, his composed style has drawn comparisons to Liverpool star Virgil Van Dijk.
      However, he is something of a late bloomer.
      AN UNKNOWN ENTITY
      As is standard with Dutch players coming through the youth system, it’s normally the big two – Ajax and PSV – who have first dibs on the best talents coming through.

      But Mbuyamba slipped through the cracks.
      And he was ignored by the national team at youth level too.
      “It is strange that they never came, but the same applies to the KNVB,” Mbuyamba told Dutch TV station RTL.
      “I was called up for the first time [to the Under-19s squad] in November 2019. The staff immediately said that they thought it strange that I had never been noticed before.”

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      At 16 Mbuyamba broke into the MVV Maastricht first teamCredit: Getty – Contributor

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      Impressed by his talents, Patrick Kluivert recruited Mbuyamba to the La Masia academyCredit: Instagram mbuyamba.x
      CLUB BREAKTHROUGH
      Mbuyamba made his debut at the age of 16 in the unfashionable Dutch second division with MVV Maastricht.
      Soon, the world’s biggest clubs starting taking notice of him.
      Barcelona academy director Patrick Kluivert invited him for a trial at La Masia.
      Chelsea also registered their interest, and he trained with the West Londoners for a week.
      But, swayed by the prospect of appearing in Barcelona’s B side and then the first team, he opted for the move to Spain in 2019.

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      Mbuyamba had hoped to break into Barcelona’s B side this seasonCredit: Instagram mbuyamba.x

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      Despite impressing for Barcelona’s under-19 team, Mbuyamba found his chances of progression limitedCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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      Mbuyamba bravely decided to leave Barcelona by mutual consentCredit: Instagram mbuyamba.x
      WHERE DID IT ALL GO WRONG?
      Mbuyamba’s hopes of prospering with Barça hit a halt when the B side refused to give him a starting role.
      Having starred for their under-19 team in central defence and at right-back, it was hard for the ambitious centre half to stomach.
      However, a divide between La Masia and the B team was said to be one of the reasons for Mbuyamba’s lack of opportunity at a higher level.
      He also had hoped a loan deal would help him gain valuable first team experience, but Barcelona saw it differently.
      Initially, they demanded around £1.8million for his talents. But his contract was cancelled by mutual consent, and he is now available as a free agent.
      WHAT’S NEXT?
      Chelsea were one of four Premier League clubs who made offers to Mbuyamba.
      Real Madrid, Juventus and other European giants were also monitoring the situation.
      And what are the Blues getting for their money?

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      Mbuyamba has been compared to Virgil Van DijkCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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      West London is Mbuyamba’s next destinationCredit: Instagram mbuyamba.x

      Powerful aerially, Mbuyamba boasts that same rapid recovery speed Van Dijk utilises to snuff out danger.
      He’s also remarkably comfortable in possession, given his height, and is at ease playing the ball out of defence.
      Lampard will enjoy getting a tune out of him at Chelsea’s Cobham training ground.

      Chelsea ‘make £20m move’ for John Stones as centre back remains top transfer target for Frank Lampard More

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      Man Utd new boy Marc Jurado holds record for fastest ever youth goal scored for Barcelona at just FIVE seconds

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      HE’S no slouch, that’s for sure.
      Manchester United are on the verge of announcing the exciting signing of Marc Jurado, 16, from Barcelona in a deal reported to be worth £1.5million.

      Man Utd have announced the signing of wonderkid Marc Jurado from BarcelonaCredit: PA:Press Association

      Jurado famously scored the fastest ever goal at youth levelCredit: PA:Press Association
      Jurado confirmed the move on Instagram, and is believed to be waiting for international clearance before United announce the deal themselves.
      The Catalans will be sad to see him go, after it was said they offered the galloping right back a three-year contract, which he snubbed.
      And Red Devils fans will be licking their lips at this clip of the incredible talent scoring the fastest recorded youth goal ever – just five seconds after kick off!
      Meet the talent that could become a star at Old Trafford.

      QUICK OFF THE MARK
      Back in 2013, in a game against Viladecans, Jurado made a statement for Barcelona’s U10 side.
      From kick off, the electric defender was switched on to intercept a pass, before racing past two players and cooly slotting the ball past the keeper.
      Not only did it get people talking about him, the strike earned him a place in the record books.
      Jurado’s goal was the fastest ever recorded at youth level – an impressive five seconds.

      After just five seconds from kick off Jurado scored in an U10 game for BarcelonaCredit: PA:Press Association
      WHO IS HE?
      Jurado was born in Sabadell, some 18 miles from Barcelona, in Catalunya.
      He showed promise playing for his local team, CFU Can Rull before he joined La Masia at the tender age of seven.
      Jurado was considered an important part of Barcelona’s future, and after tying down Ansu Fati and Ilaix Moriba to long-term contracts their hierarchy were hopeful Jurado would follow suit.
      But, it is believed that he feels he would have a better chance of first team football playing for United.

      Jurado had been with Barcelona since he was sevenCredit: PA:Press Association
      WHAT KIND OF PLAYER IS HE?
      A modern full-back in the Spanish mould of Bellerin, Jurado does his best work going forward.
      Blessed with bags of pace, he constantly looks to overlap and provide an attacking threat on the right-hand side.
      He was one of the best players in Barcelona’s Cadet A team this season, and it was expected that he was going to promoted to their Juvenil B side.
      HE’S GOT COMPETITION
      As good as Jurado is, he can’t expect to walk straight into United’s team anytime soon.

      Blessed with pace, Jurado is renowned for his galloping runs on the rightCredit: PA:Press Association

      Aaron Wan-Bissaka, 22, has made the right back position his own since arriving from Crystal Palace in a £50million deal, and will take some shifting.
      However, Jurado will offer the England defender the healthy competition for places that every good side needs.
      And in a few years, we might just see a United team dominating again – like they did in the 90s and noughties.

      Man Utd hero Eric Cantona, 53, rolls back the years as he scores amazing volley after effortlessly performing keepy-ups More

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      Chelsea target Andre Onana became Ajax NO1 after Barcelona snub, and funded an electric grid for his mother’s hometown

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      CHELSEA have made the signing of a goalkeeper a priority after £72million Kepa Arrizabalaga’s disastrous tenure between the sticks at Stamford Bridge.
      Their chief transfer target is £30million-rated Ajax NO1 Andre Onana, according to reports.

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      Chelsea have made Ajax star Andre Onana a transfer target this summerCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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      Charitable Onana has a foundation and provided electricity for his mum’s village in CameroonCredit: Instagram / @foundation_andreonana
      The Cameroon international was a revelation in the club’s Champions League run to the semi finals in 2019.
      And the 24-year-old has made sure he’s shared the wealth accrued from his fame with his homeland.
      Last week, it was reported that Onana uses part of his salary to fund an electric grid that provides electricity for a small African town.
      He began his youth career at Barcelona, but annoyed the Catalan giants when he snubbed an offer of a contract to join Ajax at 18.

      The decision was clearly the correct one, though, as Onana has gone on to become one of Europe’s most sought-after keepers.
      CHARITABLE CAUSE
      Born in Cameroon, it wasn’t Onana’s intention to support his mother’s hometown Mengueme.
      But, having signed a new £20,000-per-week contract last year, he decided he had to give something back.
      Onana put his money to good use, funding a power grid that provides electricity for the Essoessam population.

      He, literally, took the people of Menguene out of darkness and curbed their reliance on kerosene lamps.

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      The £20,000-per-week Onana funded a power grid in MengueneCredit: Instagram / @andreonana.24

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      The Andre Onana Foundation was set-up in 2016 to help young African childrenCredit: Instagram / @andreonana.24
      And that’s not his only charitable contribution.
      In 2016, Onana set up his foundation to help young African children, providing them means to a better education, giving them access to medical care, as well as help to those affected by terrorist attacks.
      “I know first-hand what many children in my country are suffering,” he revealed.
      “Inside me I feel that I must help them to have a better future.”
      IMPORTANCE OF SAMUEL ETO’O
      Onana’s success is partly down to former Barcelona star Samuel Eto’o.
      A prodigy of the legendary striker’s academy in the Cameroon, he linked up with the La Masia Academy at 14.
      “I’m very thankful for what he did for me coming from his foundation,” Onana told OmaSportsTV.
      But it didn’t quite work out for Onana in Catalonia.
      In 2014, Barcelona were hit by a FIFA ban for breaking the rules of signing foreign youngsters.
      That meant Barça youngsters had their development halted because they couldn’t play any competitive games for 18-months.

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      Legendary Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o’s Academy discovered OnanaCredit: AP:Associated Press

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      At 14, Onana moved to Barcelona Credit: Instagram / @andreonana.24

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      However, Onana failed to get a break at BarcelonaCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      When he returned, playing for Barcelona against Ajax in an Under-19 UEFA Youth League game, he won man-of-the-match and alerted Ajax’s coaching staff.
      FRUSTRATION
      At 18, Onana grew frustrated with his chances at the Camp Nou.
      He was adamant he belonged in Barcelona’s B team, and saw a path to the first team blocked with the arrivals of Claudio Bravo and Marc Andre ter Stegen that summer.
      There was only one thing to do.
      Barcelona offered him a contract, but Ajax’s sales pitch was more attractive. He moved to Amsterdam to develop his game further, much to the annoyance of Spanish legend Andoni Zubizaretta.
      And when first-team keeper Jasper Cillessen moved in 2016, ironically to Barcelona, manager Peter Bosz decided 20-year-old Onana was going to be his NO1.
      CHANCES HAMPERED
      Although a dream move to the Premier League is in the offing, Onana’s chances of progressing to a bigger club could’ve happened sooner.

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      After moving to Ajax at 18 Onana established himself as Ajax’s NO1 two years laterCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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      Onana was once told that the colour of his skin would be a problem for a big clubCredit: Instagram / @andreonana.24
      After a breakthrough season in 2016-17, helping Ajax reach the Europa League final, an unknown club began negotiations with him.
      However, the shot-stopper revealed he was told that the colour of his skin would be a problem for fans and the move was quashed.
      “It is not easy for a black goalkeeper to reach the top,” Onana told Dutch outlet Het Parool, with the quotes also carried by Marca.

      “They decided not to sign me because a black goalkeeper would be difficult for their followers.
      “It wasn’t because they didn’t think I was good enough. I consider it a compliment.”
      That club’s loss could certainly be Chelsea’s gain.

      Chelsea and Everton chasing shock move for Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster, 37, after Hornets relegated More

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      How Red Bull gave a fifth tier German team wings, turned them into RB Leipzig and made them the most hated in Bundesliga

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      TONIGHT, RB Leipzig will take on French giants PSG in what promises to be a Champions League semi-final with plenty of goals.
      However, aside from The Red Bulls very own supporters, German football fans will most likely be cheering on Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Co.

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      RB Leipzig’s players celebrate beating Atletico Madrid to reach the Champions league semi finalCredit: Getty – Pool

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      The club are owned and financed by the Red Bull energy drink companyCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      For RB Leipzig are the most hated team in Germany, thanks in part to the way they were formed, have been financed, and gone against the country’s fundamental approach to the beautiful game.
      Founded by Red Bull chief Dietrich Mateschitz in 2009, when the energy drink company bought fifth tier SSV Markranstadt, their success story knows no bounds.
      Four promotions in just eight years saw RB Leipzig enter the Bundesliga, where they’ve provided a genuine threat to Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund’s dominance.
      And now, they’ve got the biggest game in their history – and one step away from the biggest game in club football, the Champions League final.

      BACK TO THE BEGINNING
      In 2006, Mateschitz proposed the idea of bankrolling a German football club.
      Initially, he set his sights on another Leipzig club – FC Sachsen Leipzig – but the German FA refused to sanction the move.
      St Pauli, 1860 Munich and Fortuna Dusseldorf were also targeted, with protests from fans putting pay to any developments with those teams.
      However, for the 2009-10 season, after years of negotiations and research, they bought the licence of fifth division team SSV Markranstadt.

      The message was clear, they were going to start at the bottom and rise to the top.

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      Red Bull chief Dietrich Mateschitz founded RB Leipzig in 2009Credit: Getty Images – Getty

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      Today, RB Leipzig welcome around 40,000 supporters to their Red Bull Arena after initially attracting around 2,100 fansCredit: Reuters
      POLITICS
      Before Leipzig came along, the football landscape in East Germany was bleak.
      There hadn’t been a team from the the former Eastern Bloc state competing in the Bundesliga since Energie Cottbus were relegated in 2009.
      There was a huge potential for a team to succeed in that region.
      In their debut season, an average of 2,150 fans followed the team’s transition – a far cry from the 38,000-plus who cheer them on at the Red Bull Arena.
      But their business model didn’t endear them to the rest of Germany.
      BENDING THE RULES
      DFB laws state that German clubs must operate under the ’50+1′ rule. That means fans who are members own the majority of shares and can influence decisions regarding the club, like ticket prices.
      RB Leipzig are a little different, though. Their rivals feel they exploited the system by having just 17 members who can vote, with most linked to the Red Bull company.
      And many are irked that Red Bull cheated a law that says German clubs can’t be named after sponsors.

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      RB Leipzig exploited the 50+1 rule and have just 17 membersCredit: Getty – Contributor

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      Borussia Monchengladbach fans protest at the Red Bull ArenaCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      The club’s official name is actually RasenBallsport Leipzig, which translates to LawnBallsport Leipzig.
      They’ve been given the tag the ‘most hated club in Germany’ and still face protests every game from opposition fans.
      And when they’re playing at home, the away end at the Red Bull Arena is often boycotted.
      Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke once called RB Leipzig “a club built to push up the revenues for Red Bull”.
      SUCCESS STORY
      In defence of Leipzig, they haven’t quite bought success the way many imagine – with owner Mateschitz sitting on a £21billion fortune and able to flex his muscle in the transfer market.
      They invested in players no older than 23 when the project began, built a state-of-the-art academy and training centres, while preaching a brand of attractive attacking football that their reserve and youth teams must adhere to.
      Of the current first-teamers, Danish striker Yussuf Poulsen was signed in 2013 at the age of 19, when the club were languishing in the third division.
      Lukas Klostermann was discovered at Bochum in 2014, aged 18. Austrian midfielder Marcel Sabitzer moved in 2014, at just 20.
      Swedish playmaker Emil Forsberg swapped Swedish champions Malmo for RB Leipzig in 2015 for second division football.

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      Swedish playmaker Emil Forsberg has been with RB Leipzig since they were a second division sideCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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      Dayot Upamecano has blossomed into one of Europe’s best defendersCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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      The recent sale of Timo Werner to Chelsea shows that RB Leipzig are a selling clubCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      While, players like Liverpool’s Naby Keita were discovered by a pool of network scouts around the world, with former Reds boss Gerard Houllier holding the position of head of global football for the firm.
      His links to the French market have been imperative, with RB Leipzig stealing a march on talents like in-demand defender Dayot Upamecano and Christopher Nkunku, who swapped PSG for the Leipzig experiment.
      But, as has been proven with Keita and most recently Timo Werner who joined Chelsea, they are a selling club if the price is right.
      In their first season in the Bundesliga, they finished runners-up. Since then, they’ve come sixth, third and third again this term.
      OWE IT ALL TO RALF
      The arrival of Ralf Rangnick at the club in 2012 is heralded as the moment RB Leipzig established their own identity.
      After he was appointed sporting director, successive promotions followed with his blueprint for the club shining through.
      Then he became manager himself and helped the club gain promotion to the top flight.

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      Ralf Rangnick is credited with creating the blueprint for RB Leipzig’s successCredit: EPA

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      Rangnick, who was head of sport and development at RB Leipzig, left his role last month because he wants a return to managementCredit: Getty – Contributor
      He has stepped in twice to manage the Bundesliga giants, when they’ve been in between managers and was head of sport and development for the whole Red Bull regime until last month.
      Back in July, Rangnick was touted to fulfil a similar role at AC Milan and help rebuild the fallen Serie A giants.

      But the Italians refused to meet his £6.4million contract release clause and the deal was called off.
      He has since walked away from RB Leipzig, and is ready to step back into management.
      Clearly, whoever he manages will benefit from his blueprint. They might just make the last four of the Champions league.

      RB Leipzig shock Atletico Madrid as Germans earn their first Champions League semi-final spot More

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      Lionel Messi was branded aloof for Argentina yet rose to the challenge, but Barca is different and he really could quit

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      FIFTEEN years ago, on August 17th 2005, Lionel Messi made his senior debut for Argentina.  It was not a happy occasion. 
      The 18 year old came off the bench in the second half of a friendly away to Hungary.

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      Lionel Messi cuts a forlorn figure as Barcelona are thrashed by Bayern MunichCredit: Manu Fernandez

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      At 18 Messi was sent off within five minutes of his Argentina debutCredit: AFP
      He was instantly in the action, picking up possession and running with the ball tied to his left foot.
      But he could only give a brief glimpse of his extraordinary promise. As he broke through once more, a defender tried to stop his progress by hanging on to him.
      Trying to break free Messi swung an arm behind him, the defender went down and – absurdly – the referee reached for his red card. Messi’s first appearance for his country lasted less than five minutes. 
      Perhaps it prepared him for the frustrations to come. Messi has scored more goals for Argentina than anyone else, and will presumably become their most capped player.

      There are many times when he has carried the side. The senior title, though, has remained elusive.
      There were three finals in consecutive years – the 2014 World Cup followed by two versions of the Copa America – and each time Argentina got close without getting their hands on the silverware.
      AGE IS AGAINST HIM
      Time is running out. There is a Copa America next year and the 2022 World Cup. And by then Messi will be 35. 
      Recent evidence would seem to indicate that Messi is content to play the wise old owl in an Argentina squad going through a process of rebuilding.

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      At last year’s Copa America Messi appeared a changed character from the aloof personality he was described asCredit: EPA
      There had always been criticisms of his aloof behaviour. But during last year’s Copa America he was a changed man – a much more outgoing, encouraging, vocal figure clearly working hard to take on the burden of leadership.
      Some thought he might retire from international football after Russia 2018. Instead, he seems enthused by the challenge. 
      But there is no need for him to play the same role at club level. He cannot change his country.
      HE COULD LEAVE BARÇA
      He can change his club – and with his time at the top level running short, the temptation to leave Barcelona must be throbbing in his head like a persistent headache. 
      No one who has followed Barcelona’s form over the last few years can have been truly surprised by what happened against Bayern Munich.
      Collapse after collapse, with the cracks getting wider. Well run clubs replace players a year before it seems necessary.
      The spine of the side – the likes of Pique, Busquets, Suarez – has grown old together – too old to carry out the team’s gameplan.

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      Messi can’t change his country, but he can change his clubCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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      It might be time for Messi to take his skills elsewhereCredit: Reuters

      Huge amounts have been spent – badly – on players around the edges of the side, attempts to shoehorn the likes of Coutinho and Griezmann into roles for which they are not well suited.
      A huge rebuilding job has to take place, which may take years before the club can compete effectively at the highest level. And finances are tight. The task is immense. 
      Lionel Messi appears to have committed himself to being part of one long term restructuring effort with his country. He could be forgiven for chasing short term success with a club. 

      Lionel Messi and Barcelona look on in terror as Coutinho scores Bayern Munich’s 8th goal More

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      Bayern Munich Champions League hero Alphonso Davies was born in a refugee camp, fled to Canada before becoming a star

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      FROM a refugee camp to the Champions League within the space of two decades – jet-heeled Alphonso Davies has one incredible story to tell.
      The 19-year-old Canadian flying winger joined Bayern Munich for £17million in January, 2019 from Vancouver Whitecaps, the biggest fee ever paid for an MLS player.

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      Alphonso Davies has overcome the toughest of upbringings to become a star at Bayern

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      Davies was in devastating form in the 8-2 rout of BarcelonaCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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      Davies earned the respect of Lionel Messi with his performanceCredit: Manu Fernandez
      And in the past year, he has showed it was money well spent as he blossomed into, arguably, the best left-back in the world.
      In Bayern’s 8-2 destruction of Barcelona, who rejected him as a youngster, in last week’s Champions League quarter-final tie, Davies tore a shred out of experience Portuguese international Nelson Semedo to set up the Germans’ fifith goal.
      He also devastating in his side’s 3-0 win over Chelsea in the Champions League back in February.
      The lightning winger-turned-full-back was sensational at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea could not get near him.

      Bayern team-mate Thomas Muller said: “He’s learnt a lot since he’s been here. It was a world class performance.”
      And former Munich and England star Owen Hargreaves said: “What an athlete he is. He’s a winger, he’s played as a full-back this season, and he’s been absolutely outrageous.”
      It has been an amazing journey, as he was born in a refugee camp in Ghana in 2000.

      It was hard to live there because the only way you survive sometimes is you have to carry guns, too. And we didn’t have any interest in shooting guns
      Father Debeah Davies

      WAR-TORN BEGINNINGS
      When the Second Liberian Civil War started, his parents Victoria and Debeah Davies fled their homeland.

      “You had to cross over bodies to go and find food,” his mother Victoria said.
      “It was hard, it was dangerous,” father Debeah said.
      “It was hard to live there because the only way you survive sometimes is you have to carry guns, too. And we didn’t have any interest in shooting guns.”
      They travelled hundreds of miles across West Africa, eventually finding sanctuary in a refugee camp at Buduburam in the Gomoa East District of Ghana.

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      Alphonso Davies terrorised Chelsea’s Reece JamesCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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      Buduburam Refugee Camp, east of Accra, where Alphonso Davies was bornCredit: AFP – Getty

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      Alphonso Davies is a sublime athleteCredit: Rex Features

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      Alphonso Davies made his debut for Canada aged 16 shortly after gaining citizenship

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      Alphonso Davies was too much for Chelsea to handleCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      Their eldest child Alphonso was born on November 2, 2000, and he spent the first five years of his life in the camp.
      Eventually they passed an interview for a resettlement programme and settled in Edmonton, Canada.
      HE DISCOVERED FOOTBALL
      Alphonso enrolled in the Free Footie programme – an after-school initiative for inner-city kids who cannot afford registration fees or transportation to games.
      He was spotted by the Whitecaps, and four years ago, at the age of just 15, Davies was handed his professional debut for reserve team Whitecaps FC 2.
      A month later he scored his first senior goal.

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      Alphonso Davies’ style has been likened to that of Gareth BaleCredit: USA TODAY Sports

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      Alphonso Davies scored against French Guiana, and has five goals already for CanadaCredit: AFP or licensors
      Later that summer, former Whitecaps coach Carl Robinson took the punt and gave Davies his first taste of top-flight football, making him the second youngest MLS player after Freddy Adu.
      ‘HE CAN RUN ALL DAY’
      Robinson, 41, a former Wolves, Sunderland and Norwich midfielder, now in charge of A-League side Newcastle Jets, said: “Alphonso has all the attributes you want top players to have: he’s 6ft 1in, he’s an athlete, he can run all day, he has phenomenal pace.

      He was very skinny and slight but once he beat one or two players other coaches saw the same potential I saw in him
      Former coach Carl Robinson

      “What he needs to work on is the fact he does the really hard things well and yet he sometimes messes up the simple things. But that’s down to concentration.
      “I wanted to get him in the first-team environment because I saw him as this energetic, hungry player, who could cope with men but had to be taught sooner rather than later.
      “I have always been sick of stories of players who have talent but were not given the chance.
      “He was very skinny and slight but once he beat one or two players other coaches saw the same potential I saw in him.

      “Remember, he was still a young boy, he liked going out for ice cream, playing on his PlayStation until 2am. Which, of course, is not ideal for being a pro footballer.
      “But I tried to find a balance between letting him being a boy and going through and learning his own mistakes.

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      Carl Robinson is the former head coach of the Vancouver WhitecapsCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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      Alphonso Davies celebrates scoring against the San Jose EarthquakesCredit: AP:Associated Press
      “He’s a brilliant person. He likes to dance and sing.
      “He is a proper human being. His mum and dad deserve a lot of credit for bringing him up the right way.”
      In 2018, Davies received Canadian citizenship.
      Once the formalities were agreed, he became, at the age of 16, the youngest player to represent the Canada men’s national team.
      JUST LIKE GARETH BALE
      Several Premier League clubs showed interest in Davies, notably Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool, but the Bayern offer proved too lucrative to turn down.
      Robinson, a former Wales international, said: “Alphonso has the mentality of Robbie Keane, who played with an edge, didn’t care about anybody when he came through at 15.
      “But his characteristics are like Gareth Bale.

      “I worked with Gareth at Wales, and I would say Alphonso is around the same level.
      “Alphonso moved to a big club at 17; Gareth didn’t get his chance until later.
      “But they are very similar and I liken them to each other.
      “His incredible story is the reason why you play this game.
      “He has proved dreams do come true.”

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      The £17m fee for Davies is the highest ever paid for an MLS playerCredit: USA TODAY Sports

      Alphonso Davies pens new Bayern Munich contract until 2025 More

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      Marco Verratti’s Wag Jessica Aidi is a French fashion model and former girlfriend of Beyonce’s backing dancer

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      MARCO VERRATTI has been named in PSG’s squad for the remainder of their Champions League campaign.
      Although he’s a doubt for their crucial quarter-final tie against Atalanta, it is hopeful the Italian midfielder will play some part in the competition.

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      Jessica Aidi is the stunning missus of PSG star Marco Verratti

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      Italian star Verratti has dated Aidi since last year

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      Beautiful Aidi was formerly a waitress before becoming a model
      And a Champions League win would cap off an incredible year for the 27-year-old.
      But on a personal level, he was left heartbroken when he announced his divorce to long-term partner Laura Zazzara in 2019.
      However, he soon found love with stunning model Jessica Aidi, 28.
      FROM PARIS WITH LOVE
      Verratti and Aidi, who has a 192,000 followers on Instagram, were rumoured to be an item when they were seen holding hands at the Monaco Grand Prix in May, 2019.

      However, they didn’t go public with their romance until last year’s Paris Fashion Week.
      The pair posed for photos side-by-side at a fashion show, and have since been inseparable.
      It has been claimed they met before Aidi became a model and worked as a waitress.

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      Aidi was first seen with Verratti at the Monaco Grand Prix in 2019

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      Verratti and Aidi went public with their romance later that year at Paris Fashion Week

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      Aidi has appeared in US magazine Sports Illustrated

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      Fashionista Aidi used to date Laurent Bourgeois, better known as Beyonce’s backing dancer

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      Aidi has over 190,000 followers on Instagram
      LINKED TO BEYONCE
      Before Jessica began dating Verratti, she was in a long-term relationship of her own.

      The stunning brunette was with French dancer Laurent Bourgeois, one half of dance troupe Les Twins.
      He is famously recognised as one of Beyonce’s backing dancers.
      However, with his tour commitments taking centre stage, Jessica and Laurent parted ways.
      IN GOOD COMPANY
      Aidi has wasted no time in mingling with other PSG Wags.
      This summer the Sports Illustrated swimsuit model was pictured hanging out with Verratti’s team-mate’s missus Izabel Goulart.
      Goulart, the partner of Kevin Trapp, is also a model for Victoria’s Secret.

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      Since dating Verratti, Aidi has settled in being a PSG Wag well

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      Aidi has mingled with other PSG Wags including Victoria’s Secret model Izabel Goulart

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      Aidi has called Verratti the love of her life

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      It may not long be long before wedding bells starting ringing for Verratti and Aidi

      And the whole group enjoyed some time off in June in St Tropez.
      A month prior, Aidi posted a loved-up picture of them together last month with the caption: “Love of my life.”
      Will Verratti walk down the aisle for a second time?

      Mbappe shoves Neymar out of PSG team photo, before Veratti pulls him back in, after Champions Trophy win More