David Alaba leaves Bayern Munich with a heavy heart. The fullback, who announced in February after long speculation via a specially inserted press conference that he would leave the record champion after thirteen years, has had to fight against his training during his farewell tour in recent weeks. It is still not known where the future of the defender lies, already said Sky Sports recently from a breakthrough agreement with Real Madrid for the next five seasons.
Alaba entered Bayern as a young boy, then went through the entire youth academy and made his debut in the first team at the age of seventeen. In the years that followed, he knew twice the treble in his name. “It will take a while before I go, but I cannot fully realize that it will be over soon”, says Alaba in an extensive interview with supporters magazine 51 back to his time in Munich. “But to be honest, the days will come when I will happily think back to my time here. It has been fantastic over the years.”
The left back was loaned to TSG Hoffenheim for one season in the past, only to return to Bayern and never leave. “It’s funny how it all turned out,” he continues. “I remember that in the past I was a ball boy in first team games and in Champions League games I was one of the guys who could fly the big flag in the center circle. And then suddenly I was there as a player. came here as a sixteen-year-old boy from Vienna. Now we look back on almost half of my life, thirteen years later. That says it all. The club is my family, my home, my special place. “
Alaba can take his tenth title with Bayern this weekend, when the team of trainer Hansi Flick takes on Borussia Mönchengladbach in-house. With a victory, the 31st title in the Bundesliga is a fact for the South Germans. “Of course I will leave Bayern with a tear in my eyes”, says Alaba. “But I also look forward to my future. It was not a decision against the club. I decided to do something new. I wanted to take one more step. I believe that you have to step into an unknown world to grow up again. I will definitely miss the city of Munich. My son was born in Munich, his grandparents live here, so there will always be a close connection. “
With three more official games on the schedule, Alaba is in the middle of his farewell tour. The left leg can rightly say that in recent years he has become a figurehead of the extremely successful Bayern. “I recently had to fight back tears when we had one of my last big photoshoots at the Allianz Arena. I am incredibly grateful for the support from the fans and I hope Bayern continues to write its success story. I’m not worried about that “, the Austrian concludes.