David Alaba
#8 · Defender · age 33 · (C)
Returned in January 2025 from 13-month ACL recovery
89
WC26 rating
- Recent form
- 28
- Career peak
- 100
- League level
- 90
- Competition pedigree
- 98
- International pedigree
- 100
- Longevity
- 71
Independent rating — league strength (Opta-anchored) × competition tier × position-normalized output. Not affiliated with EA or FIFA.
Career by season
Source: transfermarkt · fetched 2026-05-29
Alaba’s return from injury was the storyline Austria’s federation prayed for through 2024. Without him, Rangnick’s centre-back rotation was thin and lacked a left-footed distributor; with him, the back line has a player who can break Austria’s first defensive line with one pass and dictate the tempo of build-up.
At 33 and post-ACL, his minutes may need managing across a long tournament, but the captain is expected to start every match. Group J’s combination of Argentina, Algeria, and Jordan offers him the chance to play in front of his family — and to lead Austria into a World Cup knockout round for the first time since 1982.
Strengths
- Left-footed line-breaking distribution from centre-back
- Set-piece delivery — direct free kicks and corners
- Leadership — the on-pitch voice Rangnick built the cycle around
Recent form
Real Madrid rotation defender through the second half of 2025-26 after his ACL return; ever-present for Austria across qualifying.
His father George Alaba is a Nigerian-born musician and DJ; David grew up speaking German, English, and Yoruba in Vienna.