Alaba has a place in Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid, but not as a center back | OneFootball

Real Madrid has already played its first friendly match of the 2025-26 preseason. Against Leganés, the Merengues won 4-1, according to several sources. The match was played behind closed doors in Valdebebas, and Xabi Alonso tried out some new things, keeping a few surprises up his sleeve. His starting eleven was ‘classic’. A 4-4-2 formation with Kylian Mbappé and Gonzalo up front. In the middle: Vinicius, Valverde, Ceballos, and Brahim. At the back, Carreras and Carvajal occupied the full-back positions, while Raúl Asencio and Dean Huijsen anchored the defense. In goal, of course, was Thibaut Courtois.

For this first test, Xabi Alonso also made some unexpected changes. According to Rodra of ESPN, the Austrian center back played… as a midfielder. The Tolosa native did not put the defender in his preferred position, i.e., at the back. He tried him out in midfield. The same source also claims that Thiago Pitarch, Xabi’s “new signing” and one of La Fábrica’s greatest talents, scored one of the four goals for Real Madrid.

Another curious detail:

Xabi Alonso tried Alaba as a midfielder today against Leganés.

We’ll share another detail in a moment at @espn

— Rodra (@Rodra10_97) August 8, 2025

David Alaba stays at Real Madrid

As Grada 3 reported a few days ago, David Alaba will continue at Real Madrid. With a contract until 2026, the 33-year-old center back intends to see out the agreement. There was speculation about a Hazard-style contract termination, but the player’s entourage has ruled out that possibility. In fact, the Vienna native never considered that option. That said, he would consider it if a lucrative offer came in that could triple (or more) his salary. It should be remembered that Alaba arrived at Valdebebas on a free transfer in 2021 and was offered a salary of around €22.5 million at Chamartín. He is currently the highest-paid player in the squad, behind Kylian Mbappé.

David likes Madrid, which also plays a part. In addition, he is convinced that he still has a place at Real Madrid. At Concha Espina, they want to find a way out for him. Since arriving at the Casa Blanca, the former Bayern Munich player has suffered a total of 12 injuries. The most delicate moment came in December 2023, when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. It was an injury that marked a turning point in his career and “sentenced” him.

It took 399 days for him to return to the pitch. On January 19, 2025, against Las Palmas, he returned to a crowd that welcomed him with a warm ovation at the Santiago Bernabéu. He played 15 minutes and left a good impression. However, the joy was short-lived. On April 29, he was injured again, this time to the medial meniscus of the same knee, forcing him to undergo surgery once more. His goal was to make it to the Club World Cup. But it was not to be. A new muscle injury suffered on June 27 during the tour of the United States put an end to that plan. In total, during the 2024-25 season, he was only able to play 600 minutes spread over 14 games.

He knows several positions

Therefore, David Alaba’s situation at Real Madrid is becoming complicated. Although, keep an eye on Xabi Alonso’s “innovation.” The Austrian is familiar with position changes and knows what it’s like to play in midfield. He began his career as a left back and, over the years, has moved around the lower and middle parts of the pitch. In his last years in Bavaria, David took on the role of midfielder. As a pivot, as an inside midfielder. A bit of everything. In fact, with the Austrian national team, it is not uncommon to see him in more advanced positions, rather than in defense. Let’s see what the Tolosa native has in store, but Alaba could finally find a place.