HARNESSING
THE POWER
OF SPORT In honour of World Refugee Day on June 20th, Global Heroes and soccer fan Hermon Desbele chat with UNHCR Global Goodwill Ambassador Alphonso Davies about making sports history, his family’s experiences as refugees, and how to become a sports star. At just 20 years old, Alphonso Davies is set to make sports history. Known for his incredible technique on the field, Davies has already made his mark on the soccer pitch as the youngest senior international debutant and goalscorer for the senior men’s national team.
DAVIES 14
Born in a refugee camp in Ghana to Liberian parents who fled the civil war in their home country, Davies knows first-hand what it means to be a refugee. He also knows that as an athlete, he has the power to inspire a new generation of Canadian soccer fans, like 18-year-old Hermon Desbele. Hermon and his family fled Eritrea and ended up in western Africa’s Niger before finally getting the opportunity to resettle in Canada. Like Davies, they were refugees welcomed into Canada, a world leader in refugee resettlement, so that they could rebuild their lives in safety.
© CANADA SOCCER/MAX BELL
ALPHONSO
Now, the Canadian international and FC Bayern Munich player has been appointed as the newest Global Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency— the first footballer and Canadian to do so.
