Alaba Fit: Austria’s World Cup Hope Rises | Sport News

There were always hand beats between David Alaba and Ralf Rangnick, but they did not always look like on Saturday evening in Linz. In the 70th minute, the footballer Alaba walked off the square at 1-0 in the game against Cyprus and went to his coach for a commercially available hand shake. So far, so inconspicuous. If it would not be the fact that captain and team boss of the Austrian national team had been on the bench for most of the time in recent years – and it was therefore special that Alaba had once again took his place on the field. Where Rangnick needs him most urgently.

Rangnick has now played 37 games as team leader in his adopted home of Austria, within a little more than three years. He made friends with the national culture, even recorded a song with approaches of dialect („Hoch Gwimmas (N) IMMA”, 2024) and endured the quarrels with the football association without fleeing. Rangnick has listened to offers in recent years and rejected them, which many recognize in Austria. However, what he did far too rarely in all this: David Alaba trains.

The Duo Rangnick/Alaba played only 16 games, of which the majority in the initial phase between June 2022 and November 2023. Then Alaba’s serious cruciate ligament injury followed, which from a national team view was the whole year 2024 and – except for two games against Serbia – also the first half of 2025. Alaba was always there, traveled to almost every course and played the European Championship as a so-called non-playing captain (which in turn credits many in Austria). But because Alaba did not play, Rangnick and his term always accompanied the question in the subjunctive, which would have been possible – with a little less bad luck and playing captain. So with the cooperation between two people who have known and appreciate themselves for a long time.

Since 1998 no Austrian national team has been there at a World Cup finals

The story of Alaba, Rangnick and how you can miss in life actually does not begin in Austria, but in the Kraichgau. On January 1, 2011, Jeannot Werth, the then consultant of the 18-year-old Alaba, called on the reigning Hoffenheim coach Rangnick to discuss the details of an avoided rental deal: Alaba was supposed to come to Hoffenheim because of FC Bayern, where Rangnick absolutely wanted to promote him. According to legend, however, the consultant Werth also told Rangnick on the phone that his dearest central midfielder Luiz Gustavo should move to Munich. Rangnick didn’t know anything about the execution, the dispute that has been smoldering for weeks escalated on the same day. He ended with Rangnick’s resignation and with the fact that Alaba spent his rental year in Hoffenheim under coach Marco Pezzaiuoli.

Since the cooperation between Rangnick and FC Bayern never came about in the following years, both of them only remained Austria option to find each other again – but they seemed to fit perfectly. Alaba was one of the crucial players, which Rangnick was interested in the national team in 2022. And Rangnick was again the coach, which the now adult Alaba had urgently wanted after a messed up phase under Franco Foda: Success with the national team was increasingly important for Alaba in the course of his career, he matured as a leader in his role – and now the coach was no longer an obstacle.

Both were therefore able to serve at the European Championship last year when they praised each other in press conferences, but never became a unity that Austria needed: with Alaba on the field, not in a special development training or in a training suit as a kind of glorified heating lizard.

So there is only one last hope to save this story. The World Cup qualification has an outstanding importance for Austria, since 1998 no national team has been in a final round. Alaba’s generation could immortalize there and then retire. Rangnick is likely to leave the adopted home, his contract expires after the tournament.

For a three -quarters of a year, both still have, with all the usual resistance that still come. Rangnick will have to keep the calm because the stubborn association continues to refuse to structure everything in its sense. Alaba, 33, will have to stay fit and need a minimum of playing time at Real Madrid to keep the level that you can expect from the national team.

And then the tiresome opponents come, on Tuesday an away game in Zenica against Bosnia-Herzegovina is waiting for the Austrians who started to qualify with three wins from three games, although not brilliantly. However, it was enough for a hand shake.