Alphonso Davies Prioritizes Honeymoon Over Canada Friendlies

Alphonso Davies has chosen Paris and a honeymoon over three autumn friendlies – with the full backing of his national team coach.

Between the World Cup and the start of Bayern Munich’s pre-season, the Canada captain married Sheyenne Jen in the French capital on 23 July. The couple now want time away together, and that means Davies will skip Canada’s upcoming matches against Chile, Peru and the USA.

Jesse Marsch stressed this was no standoff, but a joint call.

“We talked about whether he should spend half of the training camp on his honeymoon and then join us,” the Canada coach said. “But I simply felt that it was important for him to enjoy his honeymoon first and then continue working on his physical condition and form.”

This is not just about romance. It is about managing a body that has been through a brutal stretch.

The 25-year-old tore his cruciate ligament at the start of 2025 while on duty with Canada and missed three quarters of the year. When he finally returned, fresh problems followed. A muscle fibre tear sidelined him for Bayern in the run-in last season, and on home soil at the long-awaited World Cup he managed only 16 minutes for Canada.

For a player used to living at full throttle, it was a harsh reset.

Back in Munich, still hampered by the injury, Davies was eased in and initially trained alone. The rebuild took time. Then came a flicker, and then something more convincing. Recently, he has looked like himself again, capping his resurgence with a sharp goal in Bayern’s 5-0 win over FK Bodö/Glimt.

Marsch has seen the same shift.

“He is playing really well, looks very fit and feels very good,” the coach said. That, he explained, shaped Canada’s decision to step back now so they can push harder later. “That is why we wanted to make sure in every respect that in November, when we need him for some important matches, and then in March as well as throughout the entire next cycle, he is so well prepared in every respect that he can always fully commit himself to what we expect from him for the national team.”

Canada lose their captain for three games. They hope they gain him fully for the rest of the cycle.

Bayern, meanwhile, get the benefit of a player whose focus, for now, is entirely on club football. Davies is set to face Union Berlin in Munich on Friday, with Bayern’s next outing not until 10 October away at Augsburg.

The schedule gives him a clear runway: a honeymoon now, then a stretch of club matches to harden his form. Canada will find out in November whether this careful gamble on rest and rhythm pays off.