I didn’t expect ruling Austrian football –Alaba

At the age of just 19, Bayern Munich midfielder David Alaba has won the prestigious vote for Austrian Player of the Year. In the poll organised by Austrian press agency among the coaches of the ten Austrian Bundesliga clubs, Alaba finished top on 21 points, just ahead of Austria Vienna’s Dutch star Nacer Barazite (20 points) and Stuttgart’s Martin Harnik (13).

“This is a huge honour for me. I’m totally surprised, because I was never expecting this,” said Alaba, who born in Vienna to a Filipino mother (a nurse) and a Nigerian father (a DJ and former rapper).

The young lad follows in the footsteps of prominent previous winners including Herbert Prohaska, Toni Polster and record-holder Ivica Vastic. Alaba is also the youngest player to win the award since its inception in 1984. “I’d like to thank everyone who voted for me, and my family, my friends and God,” Alaba told APA.

“I’m continually trying to develop, and I set myself minor, short-term goals,” said Alaba, adding, “Ideally, I’d rather play in central midfield than defensively or on the left.” The Austrian Player of the Year award represents the highlight in Alaba’s brief but explosive career to date. He is the youngest player ever to represent Bayern in the Bundesliga and Champions League, and the youngest full Austrian international of all time. This term, he has firmly established himself in Munich, where he was a member of the 2010 double winning squad.

Champions League Dream

“David is my friend. I’m utterly delighted for him. It’s unbelievable: he’s Austrian Player of the Year at just 19. David is a classy player with a magnificent mentality. He listens hard, and he’s always up for it. We fit well together. I’m certain he has a massive career ahead of him,” declared Alaba’s Bayern team-mate Franck Ribery.

David swiftly returned the compliment saying, “I still can’t quite believe I spend every day working with such world-class players. It’s incredibly good fun, and I’m learning a lot every day,” said the man capped 16 times by his country. “But I’m still a long way off where I want to be, and I have a very long way to go.” And his career dream? “I want to win the Champions League at some point,” he declared.