Canada’s Alphonso Davies distraught after injury playing for Bayern in Champions League

Alphonso Davies covered his face with his shirt as he left the field with an injury in Bayern Munich’s game against Atalanta in the Champions League on Tuesday, raising questions about the Canadian star’s availability for the World Cup.

Davies sank into a squatting position on the field after an apparent non-contact injury while playing the ball with Bayern leading 6-0 in the 70th minute. He seemed in distress immediately, covering his face and waving his arms in a gesture of frustration.

Teammates gathered around the Canada left-back to shield him from view before he was helped off the field by Bayern Munich staff, the neck of his shirt pulled up to over his face.

Davies covered his eyes with his hand as he was approached on the touchline by substitute Tom Bischof and coach Vincent Kompany.

Davies appeared to put a hand on his right thigh and then signal the Bayern bench something was wrong. Soon after, he sank to the ground so he could get medical attention.

Bayern manager Vincent Kompany said after the match that Davies was being checked for a muscular injury.

Davies was a key player for Canada at its return to the World Cup in 2022 and captained the team at the 2024 Copa America but has struggled with injuries.

Davies only recently returned from a torn muscle fibre in his right hamstring suffered Feb. 21 in a 3-2 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt.

Prior to that, the star fullback missed 262 days with a serious knee injury, making his comeback Dec. 9 off the bench in Bayern’s 3-1 win over Portuguese champion Sporting Lisbon in Champions League play at Allianz Arena.

Davies tore a ligament and sustained other damage in his right knee last March while playing for Canada against the United States in a CONCACAF Nations League third-place game.

That injury prompted Bayern to criticize the Canadian national team, alleging Davies hadn’t been given proper medical checks on the injury before boarding a flight back to Germany.

The 25-year-old from Edmonton has 15 goals and 17 assists in 58 appearances for Canada, which is co-hosting the World Cup in June and July with the United States and Mexico.

The Canadian men, currently ranked 29th in the world, host No. 74 Iceland and No. 47 Tunisia on March 28 and 31, respectively, in Toronto friendlies.

Canada opens World Cup play June 12 against a European qualifier at BMO Field.

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With files from The Canadian Press.