David Alaba has signed a one-year contract with Udinese at the end of September after months without a club, and he is making a point of framing it as a restart. The 34-year-old said he is “still far too ambitious” to treat the move as a farewell, after injury-hit years in Spain and only 30 Real Madrid appearances since the end of 2023.
Alaba's case for the move
Speaking to SPORT1 in comments translated from German, Alaba said: "I am definitely not coming here to end my career. I am still far too ambitious for that." He added: "The Serie A has always fascinated me. I immediately felt at home here."
The path to Udinese was not a blind jump. Alaba said he spoke with the coach, who convinced him of the project, and he also consulted Luka Modric, Marko Arnautovic and Franck Ribéry before deciding. He called the move a conscious choice, and said he started training with the team last week and thinks he can get going straight away.
What Udinese expect from him
Udinese have sold the signing as a statement. Franco Collavino called it clear proof of the club's ambitions and said Alaba is not arriving to celebrate his past, but to be part of the present.
The sporting case is just as obvious. Udinese sit 13th in Serie A after five league matches with four points, a goal difference of minus 3 and 11 goals conceded. If Alaba stays fit, there is room for him to lead, and his own language points in that direction too. He said he can be "an older brother" and is happy to take on responsibility.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
