Canadian soccer superstar Alphonso Davies revealed that he was snubbed by Spanish giants FC Barcelona before he made his move to Bayern Munich.
While he was still playing for the Vancouver Whitecaps of Major League Soccer, Davies attracted interest from major European clubs, including Barcelona. But Davies told the Say Less Podcast that he heard through the media that Barcelona's then president, Josep Bartomeu, wasn't interested in the Canadian starlet because of his nationality.
"Barca actually reached out but the president said that they didn't want me," Davies said. "They said that they didn't want me because I was Canadian.
"Not gonna lie, that crushed my feelings a little bit."
Davies went on to sign with Bayern Munich in July 2018, eventually joining the team officially in January 2019.
Since then, the Canadian won the Bundesliga in five straight seasons, lifted two German Cups and took home a Champions League title in 2020.
Davies could end up playing in Spain after all with rumours linking him to Barcelona's eternal rivals Real Madrid.
The Canadian's contract with Munich runs through July 2025 but Davies' agent, Nedal Huoseh, told soccer insider Fabrizio Romano that "nothing concrete" happened between Munich and Madrid.
"When you hear the rumours that (Real Madrid) is interested in a player that you manage it makes you proud, Huoseh said. "Nothing concrete has happened with anybody and at the end of the day two clubs have to communicate, the buying club has to initiate, the selling has to want to initiate to make a sale and the third part is the player, if the player wants to move or not.
"Right now, our focus is to get things figured out with Bayern Munich, see what's going on there and Alphonso has to focus on the upcoming season."
Davies will shift his focus on the Canadian men's national team where he will play in the Concacaf Nations League semifinal. The Canadians are set to take on Panama at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on June 15 in a chase for a first men's continental trophy since 2000.
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