It’s official. After months of speculation and reports of an agreement, Real Madrid have welcomed David Alaba to the club. He is the first official signing of the 2021 summer transfer window and could very well be one of only two notable signings this year.
Alaba will make about 12 million euros per year and did not play well at center back this past season, which makes some Real Madrid fans leery about the Austrian international’s fit as Sergio Ramos’ replacement.
But Alaba should not be viewed as a one-to-one replacement for the captain, whose future remains unclear.
Therefore, let’s look at some of the reasons why Madridistas should be optimistic about Alaba joining Los Blancos.
David Alaba was great at center back the previous year
Although David Alaba struggled at the heart of the Bayern Munich defense in 2020-2021, perhaps that was due to the uncertainty of his future in Bavaria. Because in the previous season, Alaba was arguably the Bundesliga’s best central defender when looking at his consistency throughout the 2019-2020 season.
Alaba rarely got caught out defensively, as he was dribbled past just 0.3 times per game in the Bundesliga and 0.1 times per match in the Champions League, according to WhoScored.com. Those are astounding numbers, as Alaba was very much a key part of the treble-winning squad.
His greatest impact was in the build-up play, though. Alaba was nearly flawless at supporting Bayern’s ability to begin attacks, working well with Thiago Alcantara by completing just over 90 percent of his passes and 0.7 key passes per game. He averaged nearly 87 pass attempts per game in the Bundesliga. Those are incredible numbers at center back.
So while Alaba was a disappointment this past season, maybe the 2019-2020 season will be more indicative of the quality he brings to Real Madrid. And if so, Real may have truly landed a steal in free agency.
David Alaba has shown up well in midfield lately
A midfielder at Hoffenheim earlier in his career, David Alaba was mostly a left back during his legendary run with Bayern, establishing himself as one of the elite players at the position over the past decade. But he did get some matches in midfield in the past and was used somewhat frequently in the middle of the park for Die Roten in 2020-2021. On top of that, he’s a regular in the middle of the park for the national team.
Alaba has averaged 2.8 and 2.7 key passes per game for Austria in the UEFA Nations League and World Cup qualifying, respectively. That’s tremendous, and it offers a glimpse of the creative upside he could bring to Real Madrid as a midfield anchor and set-piece specialist. You know, in case Toni Kroos and Luka Modric need some rest. (They probably do, as tireless and consistent as they may be!)
For Bayern, the 28-year-old made about 10 starts in center midfield this past season and looked very good. He won the ball high up the pitch when pressing, took so many great shots from beyond the box, and had some heads-up plays in the final third attacking-wise. His highest ratings at any position came in midfield, via WhoScored’s system, whereas his lowest ratings were in central defense.
Alaba has serious talent in midfield, and that may be his best position at Real Madrid. Although Real have a handful of good midfielders, Alaba could bring high-quality depth to a team that did need to make at least one addition to their midfield for the upcoming season.
David Alaba brings a decade of brilliance to Real Madrid
David Alaba 100 percent brings versatility to Real Madrid, but sometimes when we hear about versatility in sports, it’s in the context of a player being a jack of all trades but a master of none. And therefore, versatility feels like a light compliment to a player.
In Alaba’s case, praising the Austrian for his versatility is a significant undersell. The 28-year-old could legitimately be world-class at three different positions, which is not something you can say about most defensive-minded players.
Alaba was world-class – and undeniably so – for nearly 10 years at Bayern Munich as a left back. From 2011 to 2017, Alaba put up jaw-dropping defensive and attacking numbers on the left side of the pitch, including more than 1.5 interceptions per game and 1.5 key passes per game in some seasons.
The man proved himself at the highest level for TWO treble-winning sides at Bayern. How many players can say they have done that? To question Alaba’s ability would be blasphemous. This man is one of the best players we have seen in the last 10 years, but he does not get as much credit since he is a defensive player from the Bundesliga.
And the best may be yet to come in midfield and central defense due to his maturity and motivation to prove to Bayern and the world that he can make it at Real Madrid. That, my friends, is a secret ingredient to reaching the levels of success that a world-class player needs to become someone to distinguish with honors at the Santiago Bernabeu.