David Alaba will not make his return for Real Madrid at the Club World Cup.Those plans have now been abandoned as Madrid confirmed medical staff have diagnosed Alaba with a fresh muscle injury.
Arancha Rodríguez was the first to reveal that Alaba will need at least another month on the sidelines to recover. The Austria international is expected to remain with the Madrid squad until the end of the Club World Cup.Real Madrid have confirmed defender David Alaba has been diagnosed with a new injury, which reports suggest will keep him out for the entirety of the FIFA Club World Cup.
Alaba suffered a knee injury in early May which has kept him on the sidelines ever since, but he was named in Madrid’s Club World Cup squad in the hope that he would be able to make his return in the late stages of the tournamentAS add that this latest injury is to Alaba’s right leg, which has caused him all sorts of problems during his time in Madrid.Indeed, since Alaba’s arrival at the Santiago Bernabéu on a free transfer in 2021, he has missed a total of 115 games for both club and country because of various fitness issues, with that number only rising this summer.His ongoing problems, coupled with the fact he is one of the team’s highest earners, have prompted Madrid to explore their options in the transfer window, with offers for the 33-year-old welcome. Alaba, however, is pushing to continue at the club. His contract is up in 2026.
While that transfer saga will likely rumble on throughout the summer, the immediate concern for Madrid is the absence of defensive cover for Xabi Alonso at the Club World Cup.
Dean Huijsen, Antonio Rüdiger and Raúl Asencio are the only healthy defenders available to Alonso, who is hoping to welcome Éder Militão back into the fold later in the tournament if he recovers from his own injury. The Brazilian suffered a second ACL tear of his career just under eight months ago.
