Alphonso Davies injury confirmed by Bayern Munich after walking off in tears against Atalanta in Champions League
Alphonso Davies sent shockwaves through the soccer world on Tuesday when the Canada captain broke down in tears during Bayern Munich‘s UEFA Champions League clash against Atalanta. After images of the emotional moment went viral and concern mounted over the severity of the injury, Bayern have now provided an official update on his condition.
Bayern were dominant in Bergamo in the first leg of the Round of 16 in the UCL, taking a commanding 3-0 lead into halftime. With the result well in hand, head coach Vincent Kompany opted to make changes, introducing both Jamal Musiala and Alphonso Davies, each returning from lengthy injury absences earlier in the 2025-26 season.
In the 70th minute, Davies appeared to pull up suddenly while in possession, immediately crouching and burying his face in his hands. Just a minute later, the Canadian left back, who had managed to contribute an assist to Michael Olise in the 64th minute since coming on, was substituted off for Tom Bischof, walking off the pitch visibly distraught and struggling to contain his emotions.
Bayern Munich released a statement on Wednesday confirming that Davies had sustained a right hamstring strain, specifically a muscle tear in his right thigh. No details were provided regarding the grade of the injury or a projected recovery timeline.
Davies entered the 2025-26 season still working through the final stages of his ACL recovery, and between that and subsequent setbacks, he has already missed 26 games for Bayern this campaign. Most recently, a muscle fiber tear had kept him out of Bundesliga fixtures against Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Mönchengladbach, making Tuesday’s appearance against Atalanta his comeback game.
Suffering yet another injury in that context appeared to overwhelm the defender emotionally, and the images of him in tears resonated deeply with fans around the world.
How long will Davies be sidelined?
With Bayern yet to disclose the full severity of the injury, Davies’ recovery timeline remains to be seen in the coming weeks. That said, the fact that he was able to walk off the pitch unassisted is an encouraging sign, pointing to a less severe outcome than if he had needed to be helped or carried off.
In the best-case scenario of a Grade I hamstring strain, the British Journal of Sports Medicine puts the median recovery time for professional soccer players at 14 to 21 days. If that proves to be the case, Davies would miss the upcoming March international window with Canada but could realistically return to action for Bayern in early April.