"I leave Bayern with a tear in my eye, but I'm excited about my future"

He arrived at just 16 years-of-age, and he is still one of the best in his position. His next destination is still unknown, although it is most likely that he is on his way to Real Madrid. For the moment, the Austrian gave an interview with the club explaining his reasons behind his decision to not renew his contract.

Alaba's departure from Bayern is a done deal, despite the season being not yet finished. At least, this is what the CB explained in his interview. "It's always difficult when you reach the end and it's no secret that I've always felt comfortable here", he explained, starting off the interview.

"Obviously I'm leaving Bayern with a tear in my eye, but at the same time I'm excited about my future. It wasn't a decision against the club", the Austrian continued.

He continued by clarifying the reasons why he didn't renew his contract and stay at Bayern. "I took this decision for myself. I wanted to try something new and take a step forward. To grow, you always need to step out of your 'comfort zone', and I put this in speech marks because I don't want it to be misinterpreted", he said.

"At Bayern the expectations are always extreme - they come from the people in charge at the club, in the dressing room or from yourself. I would like to say that you have to go into the unknown to mature once more", he added.

He ended the interview with a touch of nostalgia, about what he will miss at the club. "The dressing room and my teammates, the fans in the stadium, the atmosphere in the Sabaner Strasse, where I lived for my first two years in the youth residence", he reminisced on.

"I always remember how, at the start, Ribery took me to dinner in his car when I still didn't have a driving licence", Alaba added.