Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies recalls emotional journey to return from ACL injury

""The first time I took a shower, all the emotions came out. I was crying, doubting myself, but I had someone beside me to tell me that everything's gonna be okay," said Davies. "I was praying it wasn't anything serious, but when I got out of the MRI, they told me it was an ACL and meniscus; my whole energy went out of my body, all the confidence I had just escaped. "I remember the first couple of weeks, between six and eight weeks, I wasn't able to walk. I had to be on crutches...When you're up there working out, and you see all your friends, having fun playing football, and sometimes you think to yourself, 'I wish I was out there.' It's like when your mom says you can't go outside and then you see all your friends running around outside, that's basically how I felt at that moment.""

""It was tough mentally, I was struggling," Davies said. "The healing recovery is more mentally and physically based, because physically, your body will naturally form muscle memory, and you'll get the job done. But the mental side is not knowing how long you'll be out, and not being able to play or do certain things. "The future is looking bright. I mean, the hard part is done now. I just look a step ahead and continue to work on my recovery and develop more muscles and more things I can work on to prevent this from happening again.""

Alphonso Davies underwent ACL and meniscus surgery and spent months in rehabilitation before returning to play. The initial diagnosis emptied his energy and confidence, leaving him unable to walk and reliant on crutches for six to eight weeks. He experienced intense emotional distress, crying and doubting himself, while watching teammates train. The recovery demanded both physical rebuilding of muscle memory and significant mental resilience due to uncertainty about the timeline and limitations on activity. Davies now reports the hardest phase is over, focuses on continued strength and muscle development, and aims to reduce risk of future injuries.

Read at Bavarian Football Works