David Alaba recalls youth days at Bayern Munich and which players understand his “Viennese”

David Alaba will be leaving Bayern Munich in just a few weeks, but he’ll have the memories of everything that he has helped the club accomplish over the years.

From the time he spent staying on campus as a youth player through now, Alaba has appreciated every moment.

“I came here as a 16-year-old from Vienna and now we’re looking back at almost half my life, 13 years later,” said Alaba in an interview with 51 magazine (as captured by FCBayern.com). “That really says it all. The club is my family, my home, my special place.”

Photo by Alexandra Beier/Bongarts/Getty Images

Alaba recalled those early days and when asked about what he was like back then, the veteran had a laugh.

“Definitely a little rascal. But also a lad who never gave up believing in his big dreams and I definitely wanted to make it,” said Alaba. “The view from my room looked out onto the first-team pitch. I watched the training sessions through my window every day and I decided to do everything I could to make my dream come true.”

One of the unique things about Alaba was his Viennese dialect, which left some teammates guessing at what he was saying over the years. At one point Thomas Müller was the best at deciphering what Alaba was saying, but now most most of the Bavarians “get it.”

“In the end, there were more and more who understood me. Even Jérôme [Boateng] understands me now, so I don’t have to repeat myself twice,” said Alaba with a laugh. “And my ‘Bist du deppert!’ [you must be daft] is in the vocabulary of all the overseas players. Leon [Goretzka] recently said to me that he really finds it difficult every time I come back from the Austria team. Then I need a couple of days to acclimatize.”

In the end, Alaba wants Bayern Munich to continue its success, even if we will not be around to celebrate it.

“Only the very best. This club will always be in my heart,” said Alaba. “I’m incredibly grateful. I wish FC Bayern carry on writing a great success story. And to be honest, I have no worries about this club there.”