Out of the corner of his eye, Canada assistant coach Mauro Biello caught Alphonso Davies acting like a captain.Under the blazing Atlanta sun before Canada’s 2024 Copa America kicked off, Davies and Canada were about to begin a training session. Tani Oluwaseyi, an up-and-coming striker with just six minutes for Canada under his belt, walked timidly onto the pitch, unsure of his place on the team.Davies — freshly appointed captain by then-new head coach Jesse Marsch — made sure Oluwaseyi understood his place. Davies disarmed Oluwaseyi by throwing his arm over his new teammate’s shoulder, flashing his celebrated grin, and pulling him in closer to teammates around him.Biello and other coaches nodded in approval. There were no cameras following the globally-recognized Bayern Munich left back.It was just Davies being Davies.“That was his way as a leader to say, ‘Hey, welcome to the team’. Alphonso has that ability to make you feel like you’re not talking to a mega superstar,” Biello told The Athletic. “I think that’s what you’ll get from Phonzie. He puts guys at ease.”And for a time, that’s exactly what Davies did as Canada captain and as the unquestioned face of a team on the rise. Leading into the 2022 World Cup, the Canadian team were incredibly likeable upstarts, led by one of the more easy-going and likeable soccer stars on the planet.This is the version of Davies Canada needs as he prepares to possibly play his first game for Canada at this World Cup. Marsch said on Wednesday that after Davies missed Canada’s opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Davies would be available to play Thursday against Qatar.The 2026 World Cup was meant to be Davies’ World Cup for Canada. At 25, he is the youngest captain in the World Cup. And it was a 17-year-old Davies who stood up in front of FIFA delegates in Russia in 2018 and proclaimed Canada the kind of country that should host the World Cup.Alphonso Davies, 17, addressing a FIFA congress in 2018 (Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)The hope he created for Canada through wild success with Bayern Munich always felt likely to manifest at his home World Cup.But in the build-up to the biggest tournament of Davies’ career, his connection to the national team and the wider country has not been constant. Injuries and fatigue have resulted in Davies playing in just two of Canada’s last 21 matches.During one of those games — the Concacaf Nations League third-place playoff against the U.S. in March 2025 — Davies tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. A public feud between Davies’ agent, Bayern Munich and Canada Soccer (though Canada Soccer rightly chose not to wage a war through the media) over the handling of the star led to lingering questions about how much Davies would play for Canada. Since he’s returned from that injury, those questions have continued. Through 2025, Canada looked capable of winning games without Davies. Other players stepped up.And when it came time for Canada’s players to report to a Charlotte, North Carolina training camp, Davies remained in Germany to rehab from a hamstring injury. When he eventually reported to the national team, Davies mostly trained on his own with Matthias Blankenburg, an independent specialist trainer. This has been part of Davies’ return to play protocol, as agreed upon by Bayern Munich, Davies and Canada Soccer. Marsch said on Wednesday Davies has been “in training”. Though for large stretches of training visible to media in the build-up to the World Cup, Davies trained away from the team.The separation speaks volumes. Davies’ teammates have faced constant questions in media availabilities about their captain’s fitness.Alphonso Davies trains alongside Canada teammates (Michael Steele / Getty Images)Canada has a talented core, but Davies is their superstar. As it goes for any sport, great teams need their best players to be their best players in the biggest moments.It remains unclear when exactly Davies will play in the World Cup. Is he ready to start against Qatar? Come on as a substitute? Or will he again be restricted to watching from the sidelines?