Alaba discusses his move to Spain and Real Madrid

Real Madrid defender David Alaba discussed some of the culture shock he has experienced moving from Germany to Spain this past summer in an interview with German daily newspaper SZ.

“The timetable here is quite different and that has been a big change for me. Especially in the summer, life comes to a complete standstill in the afternoons.”

“When I was here at first and wanted to have dinner, I would arrive at the restaurant at 20:00 and often sit alone. When I was leaving, the first customers arrived.”

Alaba also discussed the language barrier moving international clubs and gave praise to manager Carlo Ancelotti for his desire to help players succeed.

“It is extremely important and I still remember from my time at Bayern the importance attached to integration in these types of clubs.”

“The Bayern physiotherapists always encouraged me to speak with foreign players in German so that they could integrate as quickly as possible.”

“Carlo Ancelotti speaks perfect Spanish, but everyone in Munich understood him well too. Everyone there spoke very good English.”

“He is a first-rate person and brings incredible experience. He loves his job and tries to continue developing us as players so that we always perform at the highest level. What impressed me the most was that, how hungry he still is to succeed.”

Alaba finished the interview by praising his current club Real Madrid and discussing the winning mentality of the Spanish club.

“Real Madrid represent success in general. You notice that in the daily work with the team and all the employees.”

“Real Madrid are one of the clubs investing everything to be at the top and that is especially seen in the Champions League. I believe that the attitude of Real Madrid towards this competition will never change.”