He couldn't take it anymore. David Alaba appeared on Tuesday at an exceptional press conference to make official what had been an open secret. The Austrian international, at Bayern Munich since 2009, decided to put an end to his time in the Bavarian team and not renew his contract, which expires at the end of the season. In this way, he is free to sign for another club and Real Madrid continues to be the favorite to take over the services of the two-time European champion. At his farewell, Alaba spoke about the following topics.
Goodbye to Bayern: “I have made the decision to try something new. It was not an easy decision. Quite the contrary. The team is part of my heart.”
New club: “I have not made the decision yet. It will be seen. I had unique moments in these thirteen years: the treble, my debut, the revalidation of the treble. It cannot be described in words. It was a precious time.”
Reasons: “I needed time, it was not an easy decision after 13 years here. But I needed a new challenge and that was why, finally, I made this decision.”
Money: “It wasn't for financial reasons. I have five, six or seven years of football left and I just wondered what to do.”
Barcelona: “It is not a secret that my agents are in contact with the clubs. There are many rumors, but I prefer to concentrate on Bayern. I am in contact with my representatives, the rest will be seen.”
Midfield: “It came about because we have casualties in the team. I know my natural position and I know that my role is in the center of defense right now.”
Talks: “I have always had an excellent relationship with those responsible and it has not changed. I am very grateful to them for everything.”
Feel valued: “It has not crossed my mind. We had many conversations with those responsible and things evolved. I was the one who made the decision about what my path should be.”
Destination: “I want to face a new challenge, get out of my comfort zone and evolve both as a player and as a person. They are the key factors when deciding.”
Challenge: “There are many factors that matter. The main thing is to take the next step as a player and go to a club where I can continue to achieve success.”
Flick“I am very grateful to him. We had excellent conversations and I grew up under his command.”
Premier: “Bayern has marked me as a person, it is a very familiar environment and I was able to live an incredible career. It has been a long time since I spoke about the Premier, so my perception of things has changed a bit. Other factors take on more value. “.
Did Bayern fight? “Everyone. That is why I am so grateful and it was so difficult. It was not possible to take it from one day to the next.”
Renew in Munich: “I made the decision a couple of weeks ago not to do it and I communicated it to the club. After all that was said about the money, I spoke again with the representatives and everything was there.”
Fired: “I want to say goodbye with more success. I will give everything for it. It is not my goal, it is everyone's. I don't think Bayern is at the top, Bayern's goal is to always be there.”
Luke: “He is a very important player, with a lot of potential and capable of playing in various positions. He is also essential off the pitch because of the way he is. Of course, I am not the right person to talk about what will happen when I no longer this one here”.
Upamecano: “A player with a lot of potential, physically strong and with a very good ball output. He will contribute a lot to Bayern, especially considering how he has evolved over the last few years.”
Barcelona and Madrid favorites: “My managers are in contact with everything. They will inform me of everything and I will not go crazy when deciding.”
Salary: “It was not a key factor when it came to renovating. This is how I made it known to those responsible in the conversations. What happens is that it was not easy to find the right moment to do it.”
Date: “I have not put an ultimatum to myself.”
Castilian: “We had a few Spaniards in the team over the last few years and I learned a little bit. Besides, Lucas's German is still not quite good and it is easier in Spanish. But it is not that good yet (laughs)” .