Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies makes long-awaited return from cruciate ligament injury
Eight months on from a serious knee injury, Alphonso Davies finally made his return to competitive action to much fanfare in Bayern Munich’s UEFA Champions League game against Sporting Lisbon.
Davies, 25, had been on the sidelines since tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on international duty with Canada in March 2025 and then going through the arduous process of his rehabilitation in Munich.
“Anything before Christmas is a bonus,” head coach Vincent Kompany had said in the build-up to Tuesday’s game in reference to Davies’ potential return.
The Belgian had suggested that he would include the left-footer in the matchday squad – larger in the Champions League than in domestic fixtures – but that playing time was unlikely and the weekend’s Bundesliga game against Mainz was a more realistic target.
However, with Bayern eventually 3-1 up against their Portuguese opponents, Kompany saw the chance to end 261 days of waiting, introducing Davies for Serge Gnabry in the 87th minute to a huge ovation from the Allianz Arena crowd.
Watch: The best of Alphonso Davies
“It was a nice moment to end the year, seeing Phonzy on the pitch again after such a long injury,” Kompany said of his decision not to wait until Sunday.
“I didn’t want any pressure on him today to get us back in the game, but the way the game went, it was the right time. We’re glad he’s back after almost nine months. Moments like this do us all good.”
Club CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen referred to Davies’ comeback as “an early Christmas present”, with his first involvement on the pitch cheered loudly by the 75,000 crowd.
Gnabry, who scored the goal to bring Bayern level against Sporting and made way for Davies, added: “He’s had a long time suffering, but we’ve seen over many years how important Phonzy is for us, so we’re really excited to have him back. Hopefully he can go full steam again soon.”
The defending Bundesliga champions have won 21 of their 23 competitive fixtures this season without Davies, who will now hope to build up his minutes in the final two games of 2025 at home to Mainz and away at Heidenheim.
The 25-year-old will then look to regain full match fitness in early 2026, especially looking ahead to the summer’s FIFA World Cup, where he is expected to captain co-hosts Canada.
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