Alaba to leave Real Madrid after five years

AFP
By AFP May 23, 2026 10:01 (EAT)
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Alaba to leave Real Madrid after five years

David Alaba of Real Madrid in action during the La Liga 2025/26 match between Real Madrid and Oviedo at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid, Spain, on May 14, 2025. (Photo by Guillermo Martinez/NurPhoto) (Photo by Guillermo Martinez / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via AFP)

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Austrian defender David Alaba will leave Real Madrid at the end of the season when his contract expires, Los Blancos said Friday.

The 33-year-old has been in the Spanish capital for five years after joining from Bayern Munich, but serious injury problems stopped him playing consistently.

Alaba won 11 trophies including two Champions Leagues and two La Liga titles, playing 131 times for the club.

"Real Madrid wishes to express its gratitude and all its affection to a player who has been part of a team that has marked one of the most successful periods in our history," said Madrid in a statement.

Alaba, like right-back Dani Carvajal and departing coach Alvaro Arbeloa, can say goodbye to the club's supporters on Saturday in Madrid's final league match of the season, at home against Athletic Bilbao.

The centre-back, who has not yet announced his next destination, will captain Austria at the World Cup this summer.

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