David Alaba has revealed he received several offers after leaving Bayern Munich but was only ever interested in a “dream” move to Real Madrid.
Alaba enjoyed an incredible Bayern career, making over 400 appearances in a trophy laden decade for the club. During his time in Bavaria, Die Roten won two Champions Leagues, ten Bundesliga titles and a host of other honours.
However, at the end of last season Alaba decided to make a change, departing for Los Blancos when his contract expired.
Speaking to the press during his unveiling as a Real player he said: “Firstly, I personally decided to take this move in my career, to grow as a player, but also as a person. I received several offers, but for me the only option was Real Madrid. This is a dream come true, the best club in the world and the biggest club in the world, and it’s the challenge that I was looking for.”
Alaba, who will wear the number four jersey, went on to say that he was excited to be working with Carlo Ancelotti who recently replaced Zinedine Zidane in the hot seat.
“I was sorry to see Zidane leave the club, but I am also very happy to see that Ancelotti is the new coach. I know him from my time in Munich. I saw him again a few minutes ago and it’s really nice to be able to work with him again,” he said.
Alaba has been brought in as a replacement for the legendary Sergio Ramos, who has signed for Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer. Ramos’ long time partner Raphael Varane has also been linked with a move to Manchester United, although Alaba did say he was looking forward to playing alongside the Frenchman.
“I would have loved to play with Ramos, as I have already said, as he played top-class football for more than a decade and is a leader. I would also love to play with Varane. He has played excellent football for many years. He’s a great defender and has very good qualities.”