David Alaba plays final Real Madrid match, receives emotional on-field farewell

David Alaba’s final appearance for Real Madrid came on May 23, 2026, in a 4-2 win over Athletic Club at the Bernabéu, where the defender was honored on the pitch during his substitution. Real Madrid said before the match that supporters would have the chance to say goodbye to Alaba and Dani Carvajal in their final game as madridistas. After the match, the club published Alaba’s interview with Realmadrid TV and a separate account of the tribute at the stadium. Alaba said the five seasons he spent at the club had been “very special” and called Real Madrid “the greatest club in the world.” ### When did the farewell happen, and in what match? Real Madrid staged Alaba’s farewell on Saturday, May 23, during its final La Liga match of the season against Athletic Club at the Bernabéu. The club’s preview in Spanish said the stadium would bid farewell and pay tribute to Carvajal and Alaba in their last match as Real Madrid players. (realmadrid.com) The 4-2 result gave the occasion a competitive setting rather than a ceremonial exhibition. Real Madrid’s match report said goals from Gonzalo, Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappé and Brahim Díaz secured the win in what it described as the final match for the captain and the Austrian player. (realmadrid.com) ### How did the Bernabéu mark Alaba’s exit? The 69th minute was the key moment in the stadium tribute. Real Madrid said Alaba received a standing ovation as he was replaced by Dean Huijsen, then left the field embracing teammates while supporters in the south stand raised chairs in reference to Alaba’s chair-lift celebration from the club’s 2021-22 Champions League comeback against Paris Saint-Germain. (realmadrid.com) On the bench, Alaba shared “an emotional hug” with his family, according to the club’s account of the farewell. Real Madrid also said teammates and fans paid tribute to the Austrian defender, who won 11 titles with the club. ### What did Alaba say after the match? (realmadrid.com) Alaba told Realmadrid TV that his years in Madrid had carried unusual weight for him. “These have been five very special years,” he said in comments published by the club after the match. “Real Madrid is the greatest club in the world,” Alaba also said, according to the same interview. (realmadrid.com) In the tribute piece published separately by the club, he thanked supporters for “your love and support.” ### How did Real Madrid frame Alaba’s departure? (realmadrid.com) Real Madrid had already signaled the departure on May 22 with an “Official Statement: Alaba” and a separate “Thank you, Alaba!” post on its website. The club’s news index on May 24 also listed the farewell coverage alongside the match report and Alaba’s interview. (realmadrid.com) The club paired Alaba’s sendoff with Carvajal’s in both the pre-match and post-match coverage. Real Madrid’s reporting repeatedly described the Athletic Club game as the final match for both players and presented the Bernabéu ceremony as part of the season’s closing night. (realmadrid.com) ### What concrete record did Alaba leave behind? Real Madrid said Alaba won 11 titles during his time with the club. The club did not list the full honors tally in the tribute summary surfaced in search results, but it explicitly tied that number to the farewell coverage published on May 23. (realmadrid.com) The five-year span Alaba referenced in his interview places his Madrid tenure from 2021 to 2026. In the club’s own framing, the farewell closed that cycle with a home tribute, a post-match television interview and official photo coverage published the same night. (realmadrid.com) ### What comes next in the official record? Real Madrid’s official website now carries the main documents of the departure: the May 22 club statement, the May 23 match report, the May 23 tribute gallery story and the May 23 Realmadrid TV interview with Alaba. Those posts form the club’s public record of his final appearance and farewell at the Bernabéu. (realmadrid.com) (realmadrid.com)