Alaba started out in Bayern'syouth system before being promoted to thereserve team for the 2009–10 season.[8] In January 2011, Alaba joinedTSG Hoffenheim on loan until the end of the2010–11 season. He returned to Bayern at the start of the2011–12 season, where he went on to become a regular member of the first-team squad. Alaba made over 400 appearances forBayern Munich, winning 27 honours including tenBundesliga titles and twoUEFA Champions League titles in 2013 and 2020, both as part oftrebles. During his time in Germany, he was named in theUEFA Team of the Year three times. In 2021, Alaba signed for Real Madrid; he won the2021–22 La Liga,Supercopa andChampions League title in his debut season. In 2024 he wonLa Liga and theChampions League again, becoming the only player in history to win the Champions League twice with different teams.
Alaba is Austria's second youngest player to play for their senior national team, debuting for them in 2009 as a 17-year-old.[9][8] He has earned over 110 caps and represented his country atUEFA Euro 2016 andUEFA Euro 2020. Widely regarded as one of the best Austrian players of all time, he was votedAustrian Footballer of the Year on ten occasions (including six consecutive times from 2011 to 2016).
Born inVienna,[3] Alaba began his career with SV Aspern, his local club inAspern, in the Vienna districtDonaustadt, before joining the youth setup ofFK Austria Wien at age 10. He rose through the ranks quickly, and in April 2008 he was named on the first-team substitutes' bench for anAustrian Bundesliga match.[10] He also played five times for Austria Wien'sreserve team,[11] before leaving in summer 2008 to join German sideBayern Munich of theBundesliga.[12]
He started out in Bayern'syouth system, playing for the under 17 and under 19 teams, before being promoted to thereserve team for the 2009–10 season.[8] He made his debut in a3. Liga match againstDynamo Dresden in August 2009[13] and scored his first professional goal for FC Bayern Munich II on 29 August 2009.[14] He was named inBayern Munich's squad for the2009–10UEFA Champions League,[15] where he was assigned the shirt number 27. In January 2010, it was announced that Alaba would train with the first team for the rest of the 2009–10 season,[16] along with reserve teammatesDiego Contento andMehmet Ekici.[17]
The trio were named on the first-team substitutes' bench for the first time on 10 February 2010, for aDFB-Pokal game againstSpVgg Greuther Fürth, and Alaba came on in the 59th minute, replacingChristian Lell.[18] After one minute on the pitch, and with his second touch of the game, he set upFranck Ribéry to give Bayern a 3–2 lead, in a match they went on to win 6–2. He also became Bayern's youngest ever player in a competitive fixture, at 17 years, 7 months and 8 days old.[19]
In January 2011, Alaba joinedTSG Hoffenheim on loan until the end of the2010–11 season. Later that month, he scored his first-ever goal in the Bundesliga in a 2–2 draw withFC St. Pauli.[20]
Alaba returned to Bayern at the start of the2011–12 season, where he became a regular member of the first-team squad. On 23 October 2011, Alaba scored his first league goal for Bayern in the 1–2 away loss againstHannover 96. On 20 December, Alaba was namedAustrian Footballer of the Year for the first time.[21] During the second half of the2011–12 Bundesliga season, he established himself as a starter for Bayern. On 25 April 2012, he played in the2011–12 UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg againstReal Madrid, and scored Bayern's first kick of theshootout as they won 3–1 on penalties. However, due to beingbooked in the semi-final, Alaba was unable to play in the2012 UEFA Champions League Final through suspension.[22]
On 18 December 2014, Alaba was namedAustrian Footballer of the Year for the fourth year running.[33] In January 2015, he was voted as the left-back in the UEFA.com Team of the Year 2014 by users (352,070 votes)[34] for the second consecutive year.[35] On 31 March, Alaba suffered a medial ligament damage in his left knee during Austria's 1–1 friendly draw withBosnia and Herzegovina. Alaba missed the rest of the season for Bayern because of the injury.[36]
In August 2015 against his former club Hoffenheim, Alaba's misplaced pass resulted inKevin Volland scoring in nine seconds, the quickest Bundesliga goal of all time.[37] On 17 December, Alaba was namedAustrian Footballer of the Year for the fifth consecutive year.[38] On 8 January 2016, Alaba was voted as the left-back in the UEFA.com Team of the Year 2015 for the third consecutive year.[39] On 18 March, he extended his contract until 2021.[40] On 21 December, Alaba was namedAustrian Footballer of the Year for the sixth year running.[41] On 10 February 2018, Alaba made his 200th Bundesliga appearance in a 2–1 win overSchalke.[42]
During the2019–20 season, Alaba was converted to thecentre-back position, often partnering up withJérôme Boateng, due to an injury crisis. He adapted to the position very well and soon became the leader of the defence. On 23 August 2020, he played the full 90 minutes at centre-back as Bayern beatParis Saint-Germain 1–0 in the2020 UEFA Champions League Final. Bayern Munich went on to have their second treble-winning season after 2012–13, and thereby Alaba securing his second continental treble in his career.
After several attempts to extend his contract, Alaba mentioned that Bayern Munich asked him earlier whether he was interested in a swap deal withLeroy Sané fromManchester City, which he considered as a "slap in the face".[43] On 16 February 2021, Alaba announced that he would leave Bayern Munich following the2020–21 season after thirteen years with the club.[44]
On 28 May 2021, Spanish sideReal Madrid announced they had signed Alaba on a five-year contract beginning on 1 July.[45] He inherited the number 4 jersey, previously worn by the last captainSergio Ramos over the past 16 seasons.[46] He made his debut on 14 August, starting in a 4–1 win overAlavés.[47] He scored his first goal on 24 October in a 2–1 win over Barcelona, his firstEl Clásico, becoming the second Austrian player to score in El Clasico history afterHans Krankl (1979).[48] On 6 April 2022, Alaba made his100th Champions League appearance in a 3–1 away win against Chelsea in the quarter-final of the competition.[49]
On 10 August 2022, he got the opening goal in the2022 UEFA Super Cup againstEintracht Frankfurt with Real Madrid going on to win 2–0.[50] On 14 August 2022, he scored the winning goal for Real Madrid from a free kick in a 2–1 away victory againstAlmería.[51]
During Real Madrid's La Liga match againstVillarreal on 17 December 2023, Alaba suffered atorn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, requiring surgery and an extended recovery period,[52][53] which lasted about 13 months.[54] Alaba's return on the pitch happened on 19 January 2025 in a 4–1 win againstLas Palmas.[55]
Alaba played for Austria atunder-17,under-19 andunder-21 level. In October 2009, he was called up to the seniorAustria national team for a match againstFrance.[56] He made his debut in this game, making him the youngest player in the history of the Austria national team.[57] He scored his first goal for Austria on 16 October 2012 in a World Cup Qualifying game at home toKazakhstan where Austria were 4–0 winners.
At the age of just 19, Alaba won the prestigious vote forAustrian Footballer of the Year in 2011. In the poll organised by APA (Austrian press agency) among the coaches of the tenAustrian Bundesliga clubs, Alaba finished top on 21 points, just ahead ofAustria Wien's Dutch starNacer Barazite (20 points) andVfB Stuttgart'sMartin Harnik. In December 2012, he received the award for the second consecutive year.[58] On 10 September 2013, Alaba scored the only goal of the game against Ireland in the 84-minute to give Austria a 1–0. He scored the final goal in Austria's 3–0 win in the final qualification match againstFaroe Islands.
He scored a ninth-minutePanenka-style penalty kick on 8 September 2015 to open a 4–1 away win overSweden at theFriends Arena inSolna. The result qualified Austria forUEFA Euro 2016, their first successful qualification campaign for the continental championship.[60] Alaba played in all three group matches as Austria finished last in their group with one point.[61]
Alaba captained Austria during theUEFA Euro 2020, in which they reached the knockout stages in that competition for the first time in their history.[64]
On 17 June 2023, Alaba played his 100th match for Austria in a 1–1 away draw againstBelgium during theUEFA Euro 2024 qualifying.[65] However, he was unable to feature in theUEFA Euro 2024 due to his long-term injury. Nonetheless, he was named as a "non-playing captain" for the team.[66][67]
A versatile defender, Alaba regularly plays as a left-back, and he has been deployed as a centre-back, central midfielder, and left midfielder. Although not known to have a fast pace, and his positioning has sometimes been questionable, Alaba possesses a powerful left foot; in which besides his defensive prowess, he is noted for his offensive capabilities and ability to read the game, where he has gained a reputation carrying the ball upfront in attacking plays and supplies his team with passes. Alaba has been noted for his talents being visible since a young age, and he has been singled out for his mentality, consistency, and leadership.[68][69][70][71][72]
^"Scholls erster Sieg" [Scholl's first win].kicker.de (in German). 31 August 2009.Archived from the original on 19 September 2010. Retrieved10 February 2010.
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