Real Madrid star helped convince David Alaba to sign

Real Madrid may have a new defender in their ranks for the 2021-2022 season. Los Blancos appear to be very close to officially signing Bayern Munich star David Alaba, with whom they’ve seemingly had something of a handshake agreement for months.

Alaba is not having a good season in central defense for Die Roten, but he’s actually been quite good in midfield. And he was world-class at left back, with a few good performances at his old position this season. So he could conceivably help Real Madrid in a variety of ways, even if he would be a very underwhelming replacement for Sergio Ramos. (Though it remains to be seen if Ramos will stay or go.)

While, similarly, nothing is official with Alaba, it truly seems like he’s going to choose Real Madrid ahead of interest from PSG, Chelsea, and even rivals Barcelona.

According to a report from ESPN’s Moises Llorens and Rodrigo Faez, a current Real Madrid standout actually played a role in David Alaba ultimately choosing Los Blancos and turning down a late charge from La Blaugrana.

Toni Kroos may have made the difference in David Alaba’s decision

Alaba’s former teammate at Bayern, Toni Kroos, successfully made the jump from Munich to Madrid in 2014. And per ESPN, the existing relationship between the Austrian defender and German midfielder “helped tip the balance” to make sure Alaba would choose Los Merengues over the other suitors.

It doesn’t seem like Kroos played a major, active role in recruiting Alaba, but it wouldn’t be surprising if they did have a talk about what it means to make such a move. Kroos actually spoke publicly, via Sky Sport Germany, about the Alaba and Real links, stating that the versatile Bayern standout had the quality necessary to play for Los Blancos. He left it open if Alaba wanted to make the move due to the other factors that come with being a Madridista.

And now, it seems like Alaba believes he can make the move, perhaps steadied by an honest conversation with Kroos or by his self-belief. That belief is important in Madrid, seeing how pressurized this club is.

Regardless of the wages and Ramos’ uncertainty, Alaba is a great player, and he should be welcomed by Madridistas. It is good to hear that Kroos had a positive influence on his decision. Better to have a potential world-class talent in Madrid than in Barcelona.