Exodus from Madrid continues – David Alaba is leaving the Royal Club

Defeats on all fronts at Real can mean only one thing – an exodus from the Santiago Bernabeu. For now, it is only speculation which big names could leave the Madrid side, but even before the end of the season some players had already started heading toward the exit door. The worn-out and surplus ones first.

At the beginning of the week, Real said goodbye to captain Dani Carvajal, and on Friday they parted ways with another defender – David Alaba. Unlike Antonio Rudiger, the Austrian center-back was not offered a new deal and will leave Real after five years without a transfer fee.

Just as he arrived. Alaba joined Madrid after his contract with Bayern Munich expired and won eight trophies with Real, although he could not make a serious contribution to some of those triumphs for one reason – injuries. He suffered a double-digit number of them, and unfortunately one was particularly severe.

At the end of 2023, he tore his knee ligament, which kept him out for more than a year, causing him to miss the second half of that season and the first half of the next one. He only returned to the pitch in January 2025, before injuring his knee meniscus in April of the same year. Because of that, over the last two seasons he accumulated only 30 appearances, mostly as a substitute.

His time at the Santiago Bernabeu will therefore be remembered for injuries, but fans will not remember him only for that. They will also remember the enormous contribution he made in his first season at the club, when alongside Eder Militao he formed a wall in front of Thibaut Courtois’ goal during the run toward three trophies (the Champions League, La Liga title, and Spanish Super Cup).

He will also be remembered for that unique celebration in March 2022, when Real Madrid overturned Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League round of 16 thanks to Karim Benzema’s hat-trick in 18 minutes, while Alaba, overwhelmed with emotion, lifted a chair into the air — a moment that eventually became his trademark celebration.

On top of that, Alaba was a key figure and peacemaker in the Real Madrid dressing room, which is why, according to Madrid-based newspaper Marca, some people at the Valdebebas training center nicknamed him “Switzerland.”

His leadership was defined by quiet authority and leading by example, although toward the very end of the season he reportedly had a slightly strained relationship with Alvaro Arbeloa due to a lack of playing time, the Madrid newspaper writes.

Precisely because of that character and his positive influence on the group, the Austrian was highly respected at Valdebebas, where his injuries were met with genuine regret. And they ultimately limited him to just 131 appearances across five seasons.

LA LIGA ROUND 38

Saturday

22.00: (2.45) Alaves (3.30) Rayo Vallecano (2.90)

22.00: (2.30) Betis (3.45) Levante (3.05)

22.00: (1.80) Celta (3.50) Sevilla (4.70)

22.00: (2.45) Espanyol (3.45) Sociedad (2.75)

22.00: (2.45) Getafe (2.80) Osasuna (3.60)

22.00: (1.80) Girona (4.00) Elche (4.15)

22.00: (1.47) Mallorca (4.50) Oviedo (6.75)

22.00: (1.50) Real Madrid (4.40) Ath.Bilbao (6.50)

22.00: (3.50) Valencia (4.10) Barcelona (1.90)

Sunday

22.00: (2.45) Villareal (3.50) Atl.Madrid (2.80)

***odds are subject to change***