Alan Davidson
by Marcus Graham
Background
Alan Edward Davidson was born on the 1st of June 1960 in Melbourne, Victoria in Australia. Davidson's mother was of Japanese heritage, whilst his father was of Australian/Malaysian descent.
Alan was a lover of football/soccer from the moment he could walk. He made his debut with the club, Altona City , in the 1976/77 season at the age of sixteen. Over the course of the next few years Davidson continued to excel in soccer. This eventually led to his signing with a South Melbourne club where Alan stayed for 6 years. During the time he was with the Club, Alan made 155 apperances and scored 13 goals. This was quite an acheivement given that he was a sweeper/ defender.
In 1979 Alan was accepted into the U/20 Socceroos team where he made 10 apperances before moving on. Alan Davidson was now a rising star. Soccer clubs from overseas had noticed him and Nottingham Forest (based in England), offered Alan a contract which he accepted. He European experience was only short -1 year due to injury and he returned back to Australia in 1985.
Alan played for the Socceroos team between 1980-91, he made 79 apperances in all. At this time, he was classified as one of the best players Australia had witnessed in the game of soccer. Alan continued to play the game he loved and returned to the South Melbourne team from Europe in 1986-1991.
In 1992 Alan Davidson moved to Pahang, Malaysia to play in the Malayasian league and Malaysian Double Cup Championship. Davidson continued to outclass his fellow teammates and competitors in Malaysia so that's where he stayed for the next 7 years. Additonally, he made several apperances in Australian teams during this time. Alan completed in three World Cup qualification campaigns where he was thought to be one of the best in the Australian team.
In 1998 Alan Edward Davidson retired from playing football at the age of 38. He continued to coach in the game for several years. In the midst of his career, Alan met his now spouse Effie. They had a son on June 29th 1991, Jason Davidson. Jason continued in his father's footsteps to become an internationally renowned player. Jason also plays for the Socceroos and even made a recent appearance in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Rio De Janiero.
Young Alan Davidson
Alan Davidson- Socceroos
Alan Davidson (right) and Jason Davidson (left)
Significant Achievements
Significant Features of his Character
Alan was injured often in his career with Nottingham Forest in England after suffering a severe blow to head. This resulted in a seizure which left Davidson with some traumatic brain damage. He took a few months off but continued to play for Nottingham when he was able. Alan Davidson showed great perserverance throughout this injury as he took it in his stride.
A mere six days after he resumed training and playing , he received a harsh blow to the back. He fractured a vertebrae in this incident and once again needed time off to recover. Again he tried to recover as fast as possible and soon was back into the sport that he loved.
Alan Davidson showed great resilience and determination when injured and due to this determination he returned able to still play at the top of his game.
Reasons to Learn about Alan
Bibliography
- http://www.smh.com.au/fifa-world-cup-2014/world-cup-news-2014/socceroo-jason-davidson-determined-to-hang-on-to-world-cup-left-back-spot-20140531-zrtlh.html
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Edward_Davidson
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Davidson
- http://www.theroar.com.au/2011/05/12/alans-world-of-football/
- http://www.australianmastersgames.com/news/Socceroo-great-Alan-Davidson-heads-towards-Masters-triumph-x-436.html
- http://www.soccerphile.com/home/alan-davidson