David Alaba has revealed that he would have much rather signed for Arsenal when he was a youngster.
Well, he did, but not recently.
Andras Heidenreich, one of the first journalists to write about the player, told France Football about how Alaba’s eventual move to Bayern came about.
Heidenreich said “David was so good that Austria (Wien) couldn’t keep him. Heiko Vogel, Bayern’s U14 manager, spotted him during a tournament in Bremen. He was straight away seduced by his will and charisma on the pitch.
“He was the best in his team with (Christoph) Knasmüllner. However, David will say no twice to Bayern Munich, a team he didn’t like. He preferred Arsenal, where his idol, Patrick Vieira, played.”
“He preferred Arsenal, where his idol, Patrick Vieira, played.”
Alaba moved to Munich in 2009 when he was just 17. He made the breakthrough into their first team in 2010 when he was a second-half substitute in their German Cup game against SpVgg Greuther Furth.
This isn’t the first time that Alaba has confessed his Arsenal dream, as Sport Witness points out. He told Der Stadard the same thing in 2009, when he said
“As a child I dreamed of playing for Arsenal. I admire their philosophy.
“There is a lot of work with youngsters and the way they play football is wonderful.
“But I feel very well at Bayern. I also want to play in a major tournament with Austria but I must improve in all areas.”
Before you go getting your hopes up that a deal might be imminent for the talented 23-year-old Austrian, he’s under contract with Bayern Munich until 2021 and shows no signs of ditching them for life in London.