David Alaba

Alaba signed for Udinese on 24 September 2026, after months without a club [3] [5]. The contract runs to 30 June 2027 [4].

Bayern Munich, 2008 to 2021

Alaba made 431 appearances in 13 seasons at Bayern Munich, where he won ten Bundesliga titles and two Champions Leagues [10] [9]. The DFB data centre records his Bayern spell as ending on 30 June 2021 [7].

He joined the club in 2008 from the reserve side of Austria Wien [11]. His first-team debut came in the DFB Cup against Greuther Fürth on 10 February 2010, when he was 17 years and 232 days old. Bundesliga.com notes that this made him the youngest competitive debutant in the club's history up to that point [11]. He was loaned to Hoffenheim for the second half of 2010/11, and played 17 Bundesliga matches there [11].

Louis van Gaal moved him from central midfield to left-back [11]. Pep Guardiola sometimes used him at centre-back [11]. Hansi Flick made him a permanent centre-back [11]. Across his time at the club he played 298 Bundesliga matches [11]. In December 2020 he captained the side for his 400th competitive appearance, a Champions League group game against Atlético Madrid [11].

His trophies included a treble in 2012/13, a season in which he made 23 league, 11 Champions League and 4 DFB Cup appearances. He missed the 2012 Champions League final defeat to Chelsea through suspension [11]. He won another treble under Flick in 2019/20. In his final season, 2020/21, he lifted his tenth Bundesliga title and left the pitch 17 minutes from full time in the last match, a win over Augsburg [11]. Bundesliga.com counts six DFB Cup winners' medals in total, starting with the 2010 final, for which he was not in the matchday squad [11].

Real Madrid and the free transfer

Real Madrid confirmed on 28 May 2021 that they had signed him on a free transfer, when he was 28 [9] [10]. The club did not disclose the terms [9]. He had announced the move himself after the 2020/21 season [11]. With Real he won La Liga and another Champions League in 2022, beating Liverpool in the final [11].

Austria: debut, caps and captaincy

Alaba made his Austria debut on 14 October 2009, a 1–3 defeat in Paris against France [12]. At 17 years and three months, he was the youngest player in ÖFB history [13].

The ÖFB player profile, as it stood on 1 June 2016, listed 45 caps and 11 goals [12]. In March 2017 Marcel Koller named him captain for the World Cup qualifier against Moldova, his first start with the armband. That match was set to be his 55th cap, and Koller said the decision applied to that game only [13].

A spell without a club

Real Madrid released Alaba at the end of the 2025-26 season, and he was left without a club [5]. A weekend.at report from mid-September said he was still looking for one and had not played a competitive match since early July 2026 [6].

Udinese and the contract

Udinese announced the signing on 24 September 2026 [3]. General director Franco Collavino called him an established champion, a leader and an exemplary professional [3]. Alaba said, "I still want to win" [4]. The club's first-team list shows him among the defenders, wearing number 5 [1].

Austria and the Nations League

Austria's coach Ralf Rangnick left Alaba out of the squad for the upcoming Nations League matches, according to a weekend.at report dated 15 September 2026 [6]. The same report says the decision came after phone calls over the weekend, and that its aim was to protect Alaba from physical overload [6].

The Irish Times, writing on 29 September, gave a different reason. Alaba had no club until he signed for Udinese, so he was left out for this window [5]. We could not find an Austrian federation statement that settles which account is right.

Austria's defensive options

Weekend.at says Alaba has not retired from international football, and that a November absence is a realistic scenario [6]. Its list of central defenders includes Kevin Danso, Anel Affengruber and Felix Bacher as established options, with Leopold Querfeld and Ifeanyi Ndukwe as younger players [6]. The report says Rangnick could review the situation in March 2027, but only if Alaba signs with a new club and returns to play without problems [6].