Franck Ribery drew a penalty on Havard Nordveit in the 78th minute during the Bundesliga opener between Bayern Munich and Hoffenheim. For some, it was a clear penalty. For others, it was a clear dive. For one man in Vancouver, it was a stone cold penalty, no questions asked.
Alphonso Davies knew that it was a penalty for Ribery as soon as he went down. Lucky for us, the Vancouver Whitecaps social media people were in the room when Davies (and, presumably, his Whitecaps’ teammates) were watching the Bayern-Hoffenheim game.
When @AlphonsoDavies watches @FCBayern #VWFC #FCBayern pic.twitter.com/l0qid1pLib
— Vancouver Whitecaps (@WhitecapsFC) August 24, 2018
In the video, we hear an off-camera teammate say, “How is that a penalty?” Davies incredulously asks, “What do you mean, ‘How is that a penalty?’.” He then reenacts the play while never leaving his feet.
If there was any questions on if Davies was prepared to learn from Ribery and Arjen Robben, this video should leave no doubt. The 17 year old knows a world class winger when he sees one.