Since moving from Bayern Munich to Real Madrid in 2021, Alaba has quickly grown into a key figure in Real Madrid's defense, playing a pivotal role in helping the team win their 14th Champions League title. However, since December 2023, Alaba's career has hit a rough patch due to injury issues. During his recovery, he suffered various complications, and his injury recurred repeatedly, making his return to the pitch extremely challenging.
Alaba returned from injury in January 2025, but he has not had many playing opportunities since then, totaling only 601 minutes across 14 matches. Just as his recovery was gradually stabilizing, another misfortune struck.
In April, he suffered a torn meniscus and was injured again during training while traveling with the team to the United States for the Club World Cup. Alaba's situation has posed numerous challenges for Real Madrid. From a competitive perspective, his status within the team has declined significantly; in the defensive system built by Alonso, his position has been taken by other players.
From a financial standpoint, Alaba's contract with Real Madrid expires in June 2026, with an after-tax annual salary of as high as 12.5 million euros. While failing to provide corresponding competitive returns for the team, this salary has become a significant financial burden for Real Madrid. However, from a spiritual perspective, Alaba remains a respected figure in the dressing room and among fans. Even though he did not play in the Club World Cup, the fact that he traveled with the team is enough to prove his important status at the club.
Given all the above circumstances, Real Madrid is considering pushing for Alaba to leave this summer and persuading him to depart, in order to ease the salary burden and free up a valuable squad spot. But Alaba seems unwilling to leave; he has firmly stated that he wants to see out his contract, hoping to represent Austria at the 2026 World Cup in his best form. Therefore, his most urgent task at present is to achieve a full recovery.
