Alphonso Davies has packed a lot into his life for a 20 year old.
A refugee whose parents had to flee civil war, the Bayern Munich footballer has already won more trophies than most players dream of winning in a career.
But Davies isn’t only interested in entertaining football fans on the pitch. He’s garnered a mammoth following on TikTok, posting online to “put a smile on someone’s face,” as well as his own.
“When you make a video or TikTok, you have to enjoy your own content,” he tells CNN Sports’ Amanda Davies.
A life outside of football
Fans clearly enjoy Davies’ satirical brand of humor.
Last year, he went viral after creating a one-man re-enactment from the beloved comedy series “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” lip-syncing his way through a police line-up scene. He plays the roles of Andy Samberg’s New York cop Jake Peralta, a witness, and every one of the suspects harmonizing to the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way.”
Despite it being a technically challenging sketch to produce, he says it’s his favorite one he’s created so far.
“That took almost 45 minutes to make because I had to change different outfits and stuff like that, get the words right,” he says. “That was fun to make. I got a lot of good positive feedback from that video.”
He hopes to publish content that entertains his audience, irrespective of whether they follow him for his football achievements, or for his sense of humor. “It keeps me busy and it doesn’t just show Alphonso Davies the footballer, it shows Alphonso Davies the person as well.”
“[It] shows them that I have a life outside of football.”
Dealing with hate
But if Davies enjoys his social media presence because it gives him the opportunity to connect with fans, he’s also experienced the peril of existing as a Black man in the spotlight.
In December 2020, he and his girlfriend – Paris Saint-Germain forward Jordyn Huitema – revealed they had received racist abuse after sharing a picture of themselves on holiday in Ibiza in August.
Bayern president Herbert Hainer leaped to the couple’s defense at the time. </