David Alaba Joins Udinese Until 2027 After Real Madrid Exit

David Alaba has joined Udinese on a free transfer, signing a contract until 30 June 2027 after leaving Real Madrid during the summer.

Udinese confirmed the move on Thursday, ending Alaba’s spell as a free agent and giving Kosta Runjaic a defender with four Champions League titles, 10 Bundesliga medals and five seasons at Real Madrid behind him. After the best part of 15 years spent between Munich and Madrid, Friuli was not exactly the obvious next stop.

Alaba left Real Madrid after 131 appearances and 11 trophies, including two Champions Leagues and two La Liga titles. Before that came 431 appearances for Bayern Munich, another two Champions League wins and a decade of Bundesliga titles.

There are easier ways to pad out a CV.

The more relevant question for Udinese is what version of Alaba they are getting now. The 34-year-old ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in December 2023 and later required another operation after tearing the internal meniscus in the same knee in April 2025. He played only 575 minutes across 16 appearances for Real Madrid last season, so the challenge is not discovering whether he can play. It is getting him back to the point where he can do it regularly.

Alaba certainly does not sound ready to settle into the role of experienced dressing-room ornament.

“I don’t just come to be the experienced one in the team, and I definitely don’t come here to end my career. I’m still too ambitious for that and I still strongly believe in what I can do on the pitch.”

He says he wants to play at the highest level in Serie A every week, while Runjaic has already spoken to him about helping a relatively young Udinese squad. There should be a natural place for him too. Runjaic has regularly used a back three, giving Alaba the option of playing centrally or on the left while adding another calm passer to the first phase of build-up.

The move also lands at a fitting point in Udinese’s history.

The Pozzo family marked 40 years in charge this summer, having taken control in 1986 and turned Udinese into one of Italian football’s great recruitment clubs. Oliver Bierhoff and Marcio Amoroso were early examples, with Alexis Sánchez, Samir Handanović, Juan Cuadrado and Rodrigo De Paul among the many players who later passed through Friuli before moving on.

For years, that model took Udinese far beyond simply surviving in Serie A. They twice finished third, reached the Champions League qualifiers and became regular visitors to European competition, often while operating with a fraction of the spending power of Italy’s biggest clubs.

The last decade has been quieter. Udinese have not played in Europe since 2013/14 and spent much of that period in the bottom half, although Runjaic’s side showed signs of improvement last season by finishing 10th with 50 points, their first top-half Serie A finish since 2012/13.

This season has started more slowly, with four points from five league games, but Alaba gives Runjaic something Udinese have not usually gone looking for.

Their reputation was built on spotting players before Bayern Munich or Real Madrid did. This time they have taken one after both clubs have already had their turn.

If Alaba can stay fit, Udinese are not getting a player to explain how the biggest nights in European football feel. They are getting one who still thinks he belongs in them.

For a club that has spent more than a decade trying to find its way back towards Europe, that is probably the more interesting part of the deal.