Real Madrid defender David Alaba will leave the club upon the expiration of his contract in the summer.The 33-year-old will end his five-year tenure at the Bernabeu, where he has won nine trophies including two La Liga titles and the Champions League in 2021-22 and 2023-24.The Athletic reported in December that Alaba was expected to leave the club, a year after Madrid moved to bring in a left-back and a centre-back — Alaba’s primary two positions — in Alvaro Carreras from Benfica for €50million (£43.3m; $57.9m) and Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth for £50m last summer.The Austria captain has made 15 appearances this season, and just three starts in La Liga, having yet again sustained an injury-hit season with two separate spells out. Antonio Rudiger, Huijsen, Eder Militao and Raul Asencio are among the centre-backs favoured ahead of him.News of Alaba’s departure comes after Madrid also announced that captain Dani Carvajal will leave the club as a free agent when his deal expires this summer.“David Alaba has earned the affection of all Madrid fans for his dedication, his hard work, and for an iconic image on our path to the 14 European Cup, which symbolised the celebration of a victory and is now part of our club’s history,” Madrid club president Florentino Perez said upon confirmation of the news.“Real Madrid will always be his home.”Alaba only played 14 times for Madrid last season after returning from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in his left knee in January 2025, having been out for over a year.The 33-year-old then suffered a meniscus injury in the same knee in April and missed Madrid’s final five La Liga games of 2024-25, as well as all six matches at the Club World Cup in the United States.Alaba joined Madrid as a free agent from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2021. Injuries have been a common theme throughout his time in Spain and only managed 30 league games in one season, his first. He has made 129 Madrid appearances, and won La Liga and the Champions League twice each during his five-year stay.However, each of his final two seasons in the Spanish capital have finish trophyless.