The former Portsmouth man who helped make Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies one of world's hottest properties

And Alphonso Davies has a man who once plied his trade at Fratton Park to thank for helping him to the pinnacle of the game, where he currently resides.

The Canadian speedster became a Champions League at the age of just 19 on Sunday night, when he helped Bayern Munich to victory over Paris St Germain.

The victory sees Davies in the top 10 youngest-ever players to win Europe’s showpiece club competition, and follows on from the left-sided player becoming the second youngest player to appear in the MLS when he was given his debut for the Vancouver Whitecaps at the age of 15 years and 257 days.

And it was former Pompey midfielder Carl Robinson who gave Davies that landmark outing back in 2016.

Robinson helped oversee Davies’ emergence and played a key role in his becoming one of the game’s brightest young things, eventually prompting his move to the Bundesliga for a MLS record $22m deal two years ago.

The Welsh international was part of Harry Redknapp’s Championship winners, making 16 Pompey appearances after being brought to the club from Wolves in 2002.

Robinson started the first game of that season in the win over Nottingham Forest, but later found himself farmed out to Sheffield Wednesday and Walsall on loan over the second half of the campaign.

The friendly and likeable man from Powys turned out for the likes of Sunderland and Norwich, before finishing his career in the MLS with Toronto FC and New York Redbulls before moving into the Vancouver hot-seat in 2013.

Robinson, who now manages Newcastle Jets in Australia’s A-League, feels Davies is destined for greatness and one day will play in the Premier League.

When recently asked if Davies will become a Bayern legend, he told Stats Perform News: ‘I do. I know his dream is maybe one day to play in England, like it is for a lot of North American players, South American players, Australasian players. Going to play in Europe is the cream of the crop. That won't surprise me at some stage if that comes, but that will only be based upon his development and continuation.’

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