David Olatukunbo Alaba (Vienna, June 24, 1992), a well-known Austrian defender who has made a career at Bayern Munich, arrives at Madrid acting as a left back, central and even positional midfielder. There have been ten seasons as part of the Bavarian first squad, in addition to three in the Bayern training structure, where he arrived in 2008 from Austria Vienna; His first steps were taken at SV Aspern, until a scout for the powerful Austrian club caught him after seeing him with 10 years playing with other children on an Italian beach in the Tyrrhenian Sea.
From Bayern he has left with idol honors, after deciding not to renew his contract and continuing his way away from Germany; There have been 431 games in which he has scored 33 goals, given 55 assists and won a whopping 27 titles, including two Champions League and ten Bundesligas (In the first, he participated as a member of Bayern II). Curiously, he turned down Bayern twice before joining the German club and was ranting about him: “I hated Bayern. They came to the quarry tournaments very conceited, in their brand new buses and with the best training clothes. As if they were doing you a favor by being there. ” Over time, he assimilated the conditions of his new team: “It is a club with a necessary arrogance in the world of football.”
From his time at Bayern and the Austrian national team (79 games and 14 goals at almost 29 years of age), there is not much more to say. Its origins have historically passed under the radar, reflected above all in its middle name: Olatukunbo.. His father, George Alaba, gained fame in Austria as a musician, rapper and DJ, being part of the pop-dance duo ‘Two in one’, which had a great impact in his country in the late 90s and early 2000s. In Austria came George Alaba, artistically known as DJ Man (his career as a DJ spanned several years; he later abandoned it to represent his son), from his native Nigeria, having been born as a member of the royal family of Ogere, a small village 55 kilometers from Lagos, the former capital of the country.
Wealth and fortunes
His initial intention was to study economics, but his interest in music was stronger; by obtaining Austrian citizenship, was drafted into the army and gained notoriety as Austria's first colored soldier. George was illustrious in naming the newborn David; Olatukunbo means in the Yoruba language, typical of the religion of the native village of his father, “The one who brings wealth and fortune from a distant country”. The objective is more than fulfilled: Alaba's new contract with Madrid will bring him around 12 million net per season.
Praise, with his girlfriend, his sister and his parents.
The African origin of his father takes it in the skin of ebony; in his slightly slanted eyes you see his mother Gina, a Filipino nurse of the Bisaya ethnic group who emigrated to Austria after a youth in which she was proclaimed Miss Philippines during the 80s. The family is completed by his sister, Rose May, who followed in her father's footsteps to become a singer with some success in Austria. And he will arrive in Madrid accompanied by his girlfriend, Shalimar Heppner, a German model and businesswoman and daughter of the famous chef Frank Heppner; they both share a child.
After emerging from a very young age (“He played every day, the other parents were hallucinating with him,” recalls his father), he caught the attention of Werner Kern, still a member of Bayern's quarry structure, at a tournament in Manchester. “David has excellent talent and an excellent attitude. We believe that it can go far “, convinced his parents to take the plunge, after Alaba had declined the interest of the Bavarian club not once, but twice.
Praise, with his mother and sister as a child.
His promotion to Bayern's first squad was meteoric, punctuated by a six-month stint at Hoffenheim to help him take his first professional steps with ease. “Talent is one thing, attitude and desire are others, and David has an immortal desire to keep improving. He has that bite that it takes, “recalls Kern.. In Austria his projection did not go unnoticed and he made his debut with the national team at 17 years and 112 days, largely to prevent the Philippines and Nigeria from showing interest in his recruitment.
Okocha, Vieira … and the 'Galata'
His family's love of music is not entirely alien to him: he plays the piano and guitar, and makes his first steps with singing; he also relaxes as an occasional DJ with the mixer. A fan of Mexican food and, above all, the Filipino that his mother and aunt prepare for him, his soccer idols are the Nigerian Okocha and the French Pat Vieira. And the team of his heart is neither Austrian nor German: it is the Turkish Galatasaray. “I have many Turkish friends since I was a child and they made me from Galatasaray. Since then, I support him, I watch all his games on TV if it doesn't coincide with me playing. I admire their fans, they are very passionate ”, he commented in 2017 after witnessing a live Bayern-Galatasaray of the basketball Eurocup in Munich.