David Alaba feels 'himself' again after overcoming injury hell and is no longer prepared to be Real Madrid’s fifth choice centre-back

Since joining Madrid from Bayern Munich in 2021, Alaba has frequently been sidelined due to a series of muscular and hamstring injuries. The situation worsened for him in December 2023 when the experienced centre-back suffered an anterior cruciate ligament rupture. The injury kept him out of action for more than a year, and since then, he has faced a frustrating succession of muscle and knee issues, including a recent meniscus tear that forced him to miss the Club World Cup in the summer. 

The constant setbacks have led to Alaba falling in the pecking order in the Madrid backline, as players like Asencio emerged from the youth team, while the club spent heavily to sign Huijsen from Bournemouth in the summer transfer window. 

So far in the 2025-26 campaign, Alaba has featured in only three matches for Alonso's side, a start against Kairat Almaty in the Champions League and cameo appearances in La Liga fixtures against Real Sociedad and Levante, where he clocked only 10 minutes on the pitch. However, in the October international break, Alaba played for 153 minutes in the two World Cup qualifiers Austria played against San Marino and Romania.

AS reports that the 33-year-old is finally feeling 'himself' again and is now prepared to fight for a place in Alonso's starting lineup alongside the rest of Madrid's centre-backs. He has trained normally for the last two months like any other first-team squad member and physically, he is at his best. The report also adds that the former Bayern star has come back from the international break with a lot of confidence and in the dressing room, his hunger is visible. With Rudiger out of action at least until the next international break, Alaba will be hoping to be re-integrated into the starting lineup. 

In September, Alaba opened up about his condition and his recovery from the injury setback. In an interview with Sport 1, he said: "I feel very good and have made good progress in the last few months. I think I'd be able to play 90 minutes for the national team right now.  don't know if it would make sense. The next few games will show how it is. In the last few weeks, I had to go through a certain process to be fit to play again. The process isn't over yet; the next steps will come with the games. My goal is to play games, to be on the pitch."

Alaba was strongly linked with a move away from the Spanish giants during the summer transfer window. Serie A side Fiorentina were reportedly plotting a move to sign the Austria international, while he also had offers from the Saudi Pro League. However, Alaba eventually decided to stay put and fulfil his contract, which runs until the summer of 2026.

Marca reported ahead of the new season that Alonso was reportedly planning to incorporate Alaba into a new role in his system that would guarantee him regular game time. The Spaniard, who played alongside Alaba at Bayern Munich, was considering deploying the 33-year-old in a more advanced role in the midfield, a position he played on occasion at Allianz Arena.

Los Blancos are back in action in La Liga on Sunday as they take on Getafe away from home. Following the away fixture, they are scheduled to host Juventus in a key Champions League clash in midweek, before they start preparing for the first Clasico of the season against arch-rivals Barcelona on October 26, and Alaba will be aiming for a healthy chunk of minutes.