Time and again he can be heard loudly. As a defensive anchor, David Alaba commands his teammates. Even in FC Bayern's difficult home game against Borussia Mönchengladbach, the 27-year-old was ahead of the game and was able to impress with his ball security. For Alaba, Saturday evening's mission was a very special one. He made his 264th Bundesliga appearance in the 2-1 win, a stat that sees Alaba join Andreas Herzog as the most capped Austrian player in the German top flight.
At the time, the youngest FCB debutant
Alaba's debut was a 1-1 draw against FC Köln - the goals having already been scored by the time he was substituted on.
It all started almost 12 years ago, when in July 2008, the then 16-year-old Alaba of Austria Vienna moved to FC Bayern's academy. Less than two years later he made his debut in the fabled world of German football: at the age of 17 years, eight months and ten days, the Austrian came on for Diego Contento away to Köln, a 1-1 draw.
Alaba and Herzog - both FCB men
Alaba drew level with Andreas Herzog when he played the full 90 minutes against Gladbach.
Alaba and Herzog have more things in common. Both played for two Bundesliga clubs, FC Bayern being one of them. Herzog made 28 league appearances for FCB, making the bulk of his appearances for Werder Bremen, whereas Alaba has spent almost his entire career at Bayern, with the exception of 17 matches for Hoffenheim on loan. The defensive all-rounder has become one of Munich's undisputed leaders.
Alaba celebrated a ten-year anniversary in February:
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