“He’s better than me” — Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies heaps praise on Luke Shaw

Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies has admitted that Luke Shaw is better than him.

Shaw, 26, enjoyed a highly-successful 2020/21, which culminated in Manchester United reaching the Europa League final and England making the Euro 2020 final, with the London-born left-back scoring in the latter.

He finished the campaign having created 72 chances, the second-most of any defender in the Premier League, outranking the likes of Andy Robertson (66) and Lucas Digne (46), with only Trent Alexander-Arnold placing above him (77).

Such form has thrust Shaw back into the limelight and he is now making a strong case to be considered the best left-back in the game at this present moment in time, based on his recent performances. What’s more, he has now more than vindicated the £30m price tag Man Utd initially splashed out on him in 2014.

Davies, likewise, has a firm argument to be considered the best left-back/wing-back in the game at the minute. The 20-year-old was sensational as Bayern Munich won the Champions League in 2020, in which he became the first Canadian to win the European Cup.

Despite Davies’ own rise to prominence and his third-placed finish in the 2020 Golden Boy race, which eventually went to Erling Haaland, he believes Shaw is currently operating at a higher level than himself.

The idea was put forward by some of his TikTok followers during a live session on Wednesday, to which Davies responded: “I just saw one [comment] like: ‘Luke Shaw is clear. Can someone explain it to me? I want to know what that means.”

Davies was then told that ‘clear’ means better than himself, and he replied: “Oh okay, I get it now, it means he’s better.

“Yeah, I mean, he is! He’s a really good player.”

Davies vs Shaw in 2020/21

In comparison to his 2019/20 season, Davies had a slightly quieter campaign under Hansi Flick, making just three direct scoring contributions in the Bundesliga (one goal, two assists), while the season prior he registered eight (three goals, five assists).

Shaw, likewise, netted just the single goal, which came in a crucial 2-0 win over arch-rivals Manchester City, though he racked up five assists, though that perhaps does not paint the full picture of his ‘playmaker’ exploits last term, as he created the second most chances of any defender (as mentioned).

Davies meanwhile created just 21 chances, though having played nine less games, at a rate of 0.15 per 90 minutes to Shaw’s 0.24. Where Davies thrived, though, was in the dribbling department, completing 63 take-ons to only 36 by Shaw, which equalled Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s total (36), a full-back not renowned for his attacking game.

In terms of rearguard action, Davies managed 1.98 tackles per 90 minutes to Shaw’s 1.49, as well as 1.49 interceptions per 90 to Shaw’s 0.68, and 5.24 possessions won in the defensive third to the Man Utd man’s 3.29, so it could be argued that the Canadian enjoyed a more defensively sound season.