“Will always be his home”
©IMAGO
David Alaba and Real Madrid will go their separate ways after his contract expires in the summer. The Royals confirmed this on Friday afternoon. The 33-year-old defender came to Real Madrid from FC Bayern on a free transfer in 2021 and had to struggle with numerous injuries during this time.
“David Alaba carries the affection of all Madridistas – for his commitment, his work and as a symbolic figure on our way to our fourteenth title, which stands for the celebration of a victory that is now part of the club’s history. Real Madrid will always be his home,” said club president Florentino Pérez. Alaba will be farewell in the last game of the season against Athletic Bilbao on Saturday evening.
Since his move, Alaba has played 131 games for Los Blancos, in which he scored five goals and prepared nine more. He won two Spanish championships and the Champions League twice. However, it is also true that injuries repeatedly set the Austrian back during his time in Madrid. He missed over 130 games in five years, the worst of which was a torn cruciate ligament in December 2023, which forced him to take over a year off. In the current season he has made 15 appearances over 505 minutes.
It is not yet known what will happen next for Alaba. In the TM rumor mill, Red Bull Salzburg, among others, is considered an interested party, and Inter Milan and Juventus Turin as well as Saudi Arabia have already been mentioned as possible destinations. However, the 112-time national player’s focus should initially be on the World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada, where he will represent Austria as captain. In Group J we face Jordan (June 17th), Argentina (June 22nd) and Algeria (June 28th).