David Alaba signs one-year contract with Serie A side Udinese Calcio

David Alaba has signed a one-year contract with Serie A side Udinese Calcio following a three-month search for a new club after his contract with Real Madrid expired at the end of June. Ich denke, dass dies der richtige Schritt für meine Karriere ist. Ich fühle mich hier sehr wohl und bin bereit, sofort zu starten, stated Alaba, who officially committed to the Italian club until next summer during his presentation on Tuesday.

Career Choice Shaped by Former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich Colleagues

Alaba explained during his Tuesday presentation that his decision to join the Italian club followed careful consultation with several prominent former teammates who know Italian football well. He specifically sought the advice of former Bayern Munich teammate Franck Ribery, former Real Madrid teammate Luka Modric, and former Austria international teammate Marko Arnautovic. Ich habe meine Entscheidung sehr bewusst getroffen, remarked the 117-time Austria national team captain, noting that he took his time and grew more convinced each day that Udinese was the right place for this moment.

Ribery spent the latter stages of his career with Fiorentina and Salernitana, while Modric joined AC Milan in 2025, and Arnautovic played for Inter Milan and Bologna. Udinese manager Kosta Runjaic ultimately persuaded the veteran defender to commit to the club’s project. Die Serie A hat mich immer schon fasziniert. Ich habe mich hier sofort zu Hause gefühlt, Alaba emphasized, adding that the league has long fascinated him and is certainly one of the reasons he decided to come to Udine.

Mentorship Role and Defensive Stabilization at Udinese Calcio

Udinese technical director Gian Luca Nani and general manager Franco Collavino both welcomed the arrival of the veteran player at Tuesday’s press conference, noting that his presence adds prestige and a winning mentality to the squad. Nani pointed out that it is unusual for the club to sign a player directly from a major team to wear their jersey, highlighting that Alaba possesses great qualities and noting, Wir erwarten von ihm, dass er den Unterschied macht, uns hilft zu gewinnen und seine Mentalität sowie seine Siegermentalität an die vielen Talente innerhalb der Mannschaft weiterg weitergibt. Collavino stressed that the 34-year-old was not brought in just to look back at his successful past, but to pass on his culture of excellence to the numerous talents in the squad, while Alaba himself stated, Ich kann hier, wie auch in anderen Mannschaften, ein älterer Bruder sein. Ich bin immer glücklich, wenn ich Verantwortung übernehmen kann.

On the pitch, Alaba arrives to address a vulnerable defensive line. Udinese has conceded eleven goals in its first five league matches of the season and currently sits in 13th place in the Serie A standings with four points. While the club is currently dealing with defensive injuries to Oumar Solet and Matteo Palma, Alaba indicated he is flexible across multiple positions but expects to contribute most effectively in the central defense. Physically feeling very well and having started training with the team last week, Alaba has not played a competitive match since the end of May following his departure from Real Madrid. Wir müssen unsere Bemühungen in die Punkte ummünzen, die wir verdienen, und weiter an Überzeugung gewinnen, declared Alaba regarding his expectations for the upcoming weeks.

Upcoming Serie A Fixture Against Torino

Having begun training with his new teammates last week, Alaba could make his competitive debut for Udinese as early as Monday, October 12, in an away fixture against Torino. Following the match in Turin, the team’s schedule continues with fixtures against Lecce and AC Milan. Gemeinsam haben wir entschieden, dass es im Moment wichtig ist, mich auf Udinese zu konzentrieren, Alaba concluded.