Is Alphonso Davies's celebrity a potential problem for Canada's men's World Cup team?
CBC
Chris Jones is in Qatar covering the men's World Cup for CBC Sports.
Nearly 48 hours after Alphonso Davies scored the first World Cup goal in the history of the Canadian men's team in a 4-1 loss to Croatia, he finally met with reporters on Tuesday evening to talk about it.
"I looked to my left and just saw all my teammates running toward me," he said, remembering the celebration that followed, which included an accidental headbutt from an ecstatic Liam Millar. "It was a great feeling. We've been waiting for that moment for a long time."
Davies wasn't the only one who's been waiting. His appearance in the media tent at Canada's training centre was his first since the World Cup began 10 days ago, and the story of his conspicuous absence has been filling the void his silence has left.
After every game here, rights-holding broadcasters — TSN in Canada and beIN Sports internationally — get first crack at players as they leave the field. Davies spoke briefly to both following the Croatia game.
WATCH | Soccer North — Canada vs. Croatia post-match reaction show:
There are two further media opportunities for the written press and international reporters: a news conference, usually held by the head coach and a key player, and a mixed zone between the field and team rooms.
After Canada's opening loss to Belgium, when Davies missed a penalty that might have altered the outcome, he wasn't at the news conference, and he powered through the mixed zone surrounded by young teammates, ignoring requests for comment.
Following the Croatia loss, when he scored his historic goal, he again wasn't at the news conference, and he didn't break stride in the mixed zone, shaking his head at clamouring reporters while wolfing down a sandwich.
Davies has every right not to speak. On some level, his reticence is even understandable.
"I'm happy that I was able to score," Davies said, "but at the end of the day we lost the game, and that was really what was on my mind. I was very devastated and very down about how the team played."
It arguably remains his responsibility, having benefitted from a federally funded program in Canada Soccer, to help promote the sport, especially at a time when so many eyes are on it. When you're wearing a Canada Soccer shirt, you're no longer a private enterprise. You're part of a public trust.
Bigger players on bigger teams accept those terms. Lionel Messi has spoken multiple times here, including after a humiliating loss to Saudi Arabia. Cristiano Ronaldo has, too. The U.S. Soccer Federation has held roundtables with every one of its players. There is nothing like a World Cup to put soccer at the heart of things.
More important from a team perspective, media responsibilities don't disappear when Davies shirks them. They shift to his less-famous teammates. Atiba Hutchinson, Steven Vitoria, Alistair Johnston — the demands on them increase.
