Alphonso Davies' accomplishments are second to none, but Lou Marsh outcome a win-win for Canadians

If the objective of the Lou Marsh Trophy is to highlight and reward the Canadian who performed best in their sport over the course of the year, then this award should have already been in the mail to Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies.

This year has been so long and devoid of joy, so the purpose here isn’t to denigrate the other deserving candidates, but to highlight why Davies’ ascension as the world’s best left back while playing a starring role in Bayern’s Champions League triumph is a relatively stronger accomplishment than that of any other Canadian athlete.

Before highlighting the importance of Davies to Canadian sports, one would be remiss to ignore the accomplishments of the Canadian women’s national team who, much like the U.S. women’s national team, have outperformed the men for decades. With Kadeisha Buchanan and Christine Sinclair on the ballot this year, hopefully it’s a small step in acknowledging the national team more broadly across media.

At 25, Buchanan has already logged 101 caps for Canada and is widely considered among the best defenders in the world. This year, she elevated her game to new heights, helping Olympique Lyonnais lift the Women’s Champions League trophy while going unbeaten in France’s top-flight 2019–20 Division 1 Féminine. The argument for Davies over Buchanan is frankly among the toughest to make on this year’s ballot and both players have resolute similarities in their cases. Davies broke into Bayern’s starting lineup last November and was paired with world-class back David Alaba, who certainly played an indelible role in his rapid development throughout the season.

By the end of the season, it was Davies who often became the marquee name in Bayern’s star-studded lineup. Buchanan was a strong contributor, but was outshone by teammates Lucy Bronze and captain Wendie Renard, both of whom were named to UEFA’s team of the season. It’s a tough argument, especially against Buchanan, whose national profile is deserving of far more recognition than she gets, but Davies was more impactful for Bayern than Buchanan was for Lyon, therefore he gets the edge here.

Christine Sinclair needs little introduction unless you’ve been purposefully ignoring Canadian sports for the better part of two decades. Sinclair won the Lou Marsh in 2012 and in January, she became the most prolific international goal scorer of all-time when she scored the 185th and 186th goals of her international career in an Olympic qualifier against St Kitts & Nevis. The committee does factor in career accomplishments as part of their criteria, and Sinclair is one of the greatest players in history and therefore always in contention. This is a slander-free zone towards Sinclair to be clear, but it would be tough to argue that this was one of her career years, and if the body of work over a single year is the most important factor, then Davies, Buchanan and perhaps Jamal Murray have stronger arguments.

The argument against Murray is quick and to the point. Murray was one of the breakout stars of the NBA’s bubble, leading the Denver Nuggets to the Western Conference final against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers before bowing out in five games. There is little doubt that he’s among the NBA’s most promising talents, but if you’re someone who puts stock into player rankings, where would Murray rank among current NBA players? Murray is going to be one of the faces of Canadian basketball for the foreseeable future and you shouldn’t bet against him to eventually win this award.

Much like the Nuggets in a broader sense, better days are in store, and we’re looking forward to him securing the first All-Star nomination of his career this season. To nominate Murray now would be a disservice to his ceiling and would limit the purview of the field to a North American lens only.

Laurent Duvernay-Tardif deserves all the praise

Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is the co-recipient of this year’s trophy and we’ll quickly use this space to offer a warm, genuine congratulations. The 29-year-old helped the Kansas City Chiefs win the Super Bowl, although his off-the-field accomplishments are what got him on the ballot. Duvernay-Tardif famously graduated from McGill University Faculty of Medicine in 2018 and on July 24, he announced that he would opt out of the 2020 NFL season so he could serve as an orderly in a Montreal long-term care facility. It’s a noble act that should be celebrated independent of an award determined by sports editors. Duvernay-Tardif’s scholarship and exemplary character have been celebrated since he’s been in the NFL. There’s no room to critique his character, but there is room to question the argument as to why he won.

In 2017, Duvernay-Tardif signed a contract that guaranteed him $20 million and while giving up football and a shot at another ring with the juggernaut Chiefs, he’s financially secure for the rest of his lifetime, and few would be surprised if he continues to be extraordinarily successful in any venture of life he chooses after he wraps up his football career. The sports-centric argument hurts Duvernay-Tardif’s case a bit — while the Chiefs indeed won the Super Bowl and Duvernay-Tardif factored in, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones, Tyrann Mathieu, Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins and Frank Clark all played significantly larger roles. He’s an above-average lineman in the NFL, and while he’s been on leave, the Chiefs have remained arguably the most exciting show in all of sports — with consideration to Davies’ Bayern Munich.

Dr. Duvernay-Tardif is a role model any Canadian would want to aspire to. In any other year, he’d perhaps win it all. Davies, however, has became the first Canadian men’s soccer superstar and will inspire a generation of future Canadians in his own right because of his world-class talent on the field and his character and humanitarian focus off of it. To ignore Davies’ accomplishments in favour of Duvernay-Tardif would overshadow the sports component of the award entirely, or perhaps unwittingly reduce Davies to the parameters of his sport. And now, the case for Davies.

The case for Alphonso Davies

It’s been evident since perhaps 2017, when Davies became the youngest player to suit up for the Canadian men’s national team, that he was bound for stardom. Not even Davies’ greatest supporters could’ve anticipated he’d be this good, this fast. After Hansi Flick was appointed Bayern’s manager in November 2019, Davies was inserted into the starting lineup following an injury to Lucas Hernandez and never looked back, sealing his role with a series of impressive performances in the Bundesliga.

Under Flick’s tutelage, Davies thrived in a partnership with Alaba, with Benjamin Pavard often flanking the other side of the field. Davies’ world-class pace wowed observers across the world and allowed Bayern to enact its fullest character, with backs pushing aggressively up the field, operating as de facto attacking midfielders, while being punished minimally for taking risks in large part due to Alaba and Davies’ recovery speed, superior spatial awareness and instincts.

Davies’ first four months in the Bundesliga drew rave reviews from fans, but the Champions League is often the primary vehicle towards global stardom, and it’s where the 20-year-old Edmonton native made his mark. Squaring off against Chelsea on Feb. 25. in the Round of 16, Davies straight up embarrassed the Blues and was the best player on the pitch. This dazzling run to set up Robert Lewandowski’s goal caught the eye of fans and pundits across the world, and the plaudits for Davies arrived at the same dizzying pace. Canadian soccer fans have been looking for validation forever, and through Davies, perhaps vicariously, they found it.

If you’ve been reading along this far, you’re probably waiting for what comes next. Davies’ performance against Chelsea was outstanding, but his performance against Barcelona marks the end of a historically significant period in the sport.

Bayern was pitted against Barcelona in an Aug. 14 Champions League quarterfinals date, a game that won’t be forgotten by fans of both clubs and casual observers alike. Davies, again, was the best player on the pitch, an accomplishment noteworthy in and of itself. Not even the most fervent Davies supporters could’ve anticipated that he’d create the highlight of the tournament.

Leading 4-2 against Barcelona in the second half, Davies corralled the ball then quickly darted around Lionel Messi and Arturo Vidal, who slid hopelessly in an attempt of winning the tackle, before he set his eyes on Nelson Semedo. Poor Semedo.

Davies squared him up one-on-one, dropped his shoulder and breezed past Semedo, who was previously lauded as one of the quickest players in world football. Semedo is dropped to the floor and Davies calmly finds Joshua Kimmich inside the box for the goal. It’s the highlight of the tournament and the play that best encapsulates Bayern’s 8-2 destruction of Barcelona. This dominant performance was the final straw in Messi almost leaving Barcelona, an act that has no parallel in North American sports, while cementing Davies’ place in the global sporting landscape.

To see a Canadian player dangle around Messi, the GOAT in the world’s most popular sport, past Vidal, who has won several domestic titles across Europe’s best leagues evokes a visceral feeling — even just describing it. Canadian men’s soccer hasn’t had a superstar and in the 20-year-old Davies, who became one of the most important players in the world, it felt like the accomplishment of what once seemed to be an impossibility.

And of course, in a year where we all need some levity, few videos were as heartwarming as Davies celebrating Bayern’s triumph over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League Final, dancing to Drake’s “God’s Plan” and securing the Instagram follow from the Canadian rapper.

Davies emerging as a top-20 player in the world’s most popular sport long seemed like an impossibility. His ascension to the top of the sport happened faster than anyone could’ve anticipated. Davies is Canadian excellence personified, and he’s quickly growing into his role as one of Canada’s most important athletes, having just celebrated his 20th birthday in November. We’re lucky to have so many deserving candidates, but Davies clearly stands out far and above his contemporaries in 2020.

Editor’s Note: Dan Toman, Yahoo Sports Canada’s Head of Content, was part of the selection committee and voted for Alphonso Davies.

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