The professional footballer was born in Australia thanks to his Dad, George, who initially came to the country’s Austria’s Vienna University to study Economics. George later dropped out and took music to its full glory, achieving tremendous fame.
During the late 1990s, George Alaba revealed he wanted both of his children, himself and Rose Alaba (his sister) to pick up their own self-sustainable careers.
While David Alaba’s sister, Rose May, followed in her father’s footsteps in music (which brought her fame), David himself decided he would become a footballer.
From Music Family Fame to Football Glory: The David Alaba Story
This article, a detailed version of David Alaba’s Life story presents his full journey from childhood to fame. It is a tale of a Defensive Football Genius who is best known by the Nickname; ‘The Complete Footballer’.
Our writeup on David Alaba’s Life History brings you a full account of notable events which began from his early career years and the moment he achieved stardom.
The analysis of the Austrian professional footballer involves his life story before fame, family life, relationship life and other OFF-Pitch little-known facts about him.
Yes, everyone knows about his Nigerian roots, versatility, but few consider David Alaba’s Untold story, which is quite interesting. Now, without further ado, let’s get started.
David Alaba Childhood Story – Early Life and Family Background:
For starters, David Olatukunbo Alaba was born on the 24th day of June 1992 in Vienna, Austria.
The Cancer-born superstar was given birth to by his Filipino mother, Gina Alaba (a nurse) and a Nigerian father, George Alaba (a former soldier and musical legend). Alaba was also born a Christian. He is a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
David Alaba grew up with his little sister and best friend, Rose May Alaba. They (David and Rose) still remain the only two lovely kids of their parents; George and Gina.
Both David Alaba and his sister, Rose May, enjoyed great celebrity status at his childhood time all thanks to their father.
Their dad, George, who initially came to study Economics at Austria’s Vienna University, later dropped out and took music to its full glory in the country.
This was followed by the Austrian government recognizing him as their very own. They granted him Austrian citizenship and made him rich and famous.
It is also pertinent to note that David Alaba grew up in a nation (Austria) that once didn’t take footballers to its heart — nor appeared entirely comfortable with an increasingly multicultural urban population.
As one of the very few black citizens of Austria, this had a Stereotypical effect on little Alaba, his aunt, sister as carefully seen in the picture below.
Young David Alaba alongside his Sister (Rose May) and Mother.
Young David Alaba, during childhood, was known to have enjoyed lots of city adventures with his kid sister and aunty. They are all best of friends to date.
Career Start:
During the late 1990s, when their father, DJ George Alaba, was at the peak of his music career, he wanted both of his children, David and Rose Alaba to pick up their own self-sustainable careers.
While Rose May Alaba decided to follow in her father’s footsteps in music, David Alaba chose to become a footballer despite knowing Austria, his country pays little attention to football. By his choice of pursuing a football career, it presented a big opportunity for him, due to a lack of competition in the sport.
Both Rose May and David Alaba began their career journeys when they were at the ages of 4 and 6 respectively. Rose May Alaba went into early musical education. She first took piano lessons and later learned to play the guitar.
David Alaba got registered at SV Aspern youth football club in Donaustadt, the district of the Austrian capital where he grew up.
His father George recognised his talent quickly and made quick arranged for him to transfer to the local powerhouse FK Austria, Vienna, whose academy he joined in 2002 at age 10.
David Alaba rose through the club’s ranks quickly. His ability to play all roles (defence, midfield and attack) in football caught the attention of Bayern Munich scouts who were touring Austria at that time.
The Bundesliga giants (Bayern Munich) quickly brought him to play for their youth academy.
His destiny was told since his early days. This is David Alaba wearing a Bayern Munich shirt.
To this day, David Alaba remains a versatile player who can still play a multitude of roles.
He holds the record of being Austria’s youngest player to play for the country’s senior national team, making his debut for them in 2009 as a 17-year-old. Now, as as we say, the rest is now history.
Who is Katja? David Alaba Lover:
A Ukrainian lady who go by the name Katja became the chosen one who stole David Alaba’s heart. She is a year younger than David.
This is Katja, David Alaba’s Lover.
Katja Butylina has a BSc in Marketing (University of Vienna), and she is a former professional handball player. Also to note is the fact that Butylina retired from her sports career in the year 2013, a time when her great handball talent evolved.
Research also has it that Katja also attended Vienna University where she studied marketing. While at Vienna University, she was already being inducted into the Austrian handball national team.
David and Katja have been a scandal-free pair for more than five years.
They like to make common public appearances except Munich’s Oktoberfest Munich Oktoberfest, where his Bayern teammates and their girlfriends/WAG wear similar clothes and drink big glasses of beer as their trademark.
David and Katja, a duo known for their integrity and scandal-free years, make a distinctive appearance every year at the Munich Oktoberfest.
Thankfully, recent reports via photo proof have indicated that Katja is now back in the Austrian handball nation after a successful academic career.
She is currently rated as one of Austria’s best up-and-coming handball stars. Here is David Alaba’s Girlfriend, Katja Butylina, going professional once again.
Perhaps a future together could be on David Alaba’s mind for her. Only time will tell.
David Alaba Family Life:
In this section, we’ll tell you facts about David Alaba’s parents and sister. Without further ado, let’s begin with George, the head of the family.
About David Alaba Father:
David Alaba’s father, George, is a crown prince (son of a Nigerian King) from Ogun State, Nigeria.
His royalty parents sent him to study in Vienna, Austria in the year 1984. George’s interest in economics brought him to the Vienna University of Economics and Business.
However, he later dropped out of his studies and picked up a career as a musician. G
George Alaba first worked as a DJ in front of an international audience in the popularly known African Club. Here is George Alaba during his early days as a DJ.
Meet David Alaba’s father (George) during his early DJ days.
His first CD release in Austria was a bomb. After getting national fame and being granted Austrian citizenship in the mid-1990s, George Alaba did the needful.
That is, ‘Paying his Loyalty to the country (Austria) by serving with the country’s Armed Forces’.
George Alaba served as the first dark-skinned guard soldier, which attracted great media attention and more popularity. In 1988, George met the Philippine-born nurse Gina and married her in 1996.
A photo of George and his wife, a Philippine-born nurse Gina.
Together, they became the lucky parents of David Alaba and Rose May.
From a musical point of view, George Alaba found love with his partner, Petra Suk in the year 1997. Not many football fans know that their breakthrough came with an “Indian Song”, which landed at #2 on the Austrian national musical charts. Their relationship lasted after seven years of cooperation.
It ended with a dispute over their band’s name. After noticing there was no way of settlement, George Alaba turned back to his profession as a DJ, this time in the “Gogobar Beverly Hills” in the centre of Vienna. Later again, George had to give up this job in favour of being with his children, whom he now supports in their careers.
About David Alaba’s Mother:
She is the woman the footballer has known most in his life. David Alaba’s mother emigrated from the Philippines to work in Austria as a nurse.
About David Alaba Sister:
As stated earlier, David Alaba’s sister took up music as a profession. She did that in a bid to follow in her father’s footsteps.
In 2011, Rose May Alaba became a bona fide member of the Austrian girl group BFF. This group was put together in the casting show “Popstars – Mission Austria.”
The group broke up in 2013. In addition to music, she is also dedicated to acting. Around 2014, Rose May completed her education at the 1st Film Academy in Vienna.
In March 2016, she released All Of This Is You, the first single from her planned debut album. Another powerful song of hers titled Love Me Right reached the August 2016 the Austrian single top charts.
That same 2016, Rose May Alaba lost almost 30 kg within a short time with a change in diet and fitness training. Below is evidence of her weight loss.
Indeed for Rose Alaba, weight loss truly made her look more beautiful than ever. Here’s Another piece of evidence of weight loss. This time, David’s sister poses with her family for photos.
David Alaba Personality:
The Baller with Naija roots, like Joshua Zirkzee and Michael Olise, has the following attributes to his personality.
Strengths: David Alaba is Tenacious, highly imaginative, loyal, emotional, sympathetic and very persuasive. Lastly, he is an inspiration to future Austrian youngsters., e.g., the likes of Chukwubuike Adamu.
Weaknesses: The Austrian athlete could be Moody, pessimistic, suspicious, manipulative and in some cases, insecure.
His likes: The Austrian Defensive genius is among those who love Arts. Also, Alaba’s own home-based hobby include relaxing near or in water. Lastly, helping his loved ones, and having a good meal with friends.
Alaba Dislikes: David Alaba dislikes strangers, any criticism of Mom and revealing details of his personal life.
In summary, Alaba is someone who is deeply intuitive and he is emotional, sensitive and cares deeply about matters of his family and his home.
More so, Alaba appears to be very attached to people he keeps close. Finally, he is loyal in his relationship with Katja Butylina and is able to empathize with other people’s pain and suffering.
How the Nigerian National Team Lost Him:
Now, let’s tell you a bit of David Alaba’s Nigerian football Story: The Austrian Defender once revealed that he should have been representing Nigeria at the national football level but was denied. He revealed he was denied by what was called stringent eligibility rules by Nigeria’s football officials.
He revealed that Nigerian football authorities once appeared to be very strict with him despite him meeting all the requirements to represent the country of his ancestry in terms of football.
David Alaba never hides his support for Nigeria.
A long time ago, The Austrian defender revealed that he once planned to join the Nigerian cadet team, that won the 2007 FIFA World Youth Championship played in South Korea. Unfortunately, words reached him about his ineligibility to join the team. In the words of the Austrian footballer to an Austrian news medium;
”I initially wanted to play for Nigeria, but I must confess to you that there was no formal approach that would help me to join the country’s junior team. A scout actually discussed that with me.
I was happy to know that my dad was a fan of the Great Sunday Oliseh when the Nigerian footballer played for FC Koln. As a kid, I particularly loved watching Victor Agali in the jersey of his club, Hansa Rostock,”
Young Alaba was shocked when told by the football scout that Nigeria had no plans for him. As I write this memoir, he alongside notables like Marcel Sabitzer and Marko Arnautovic are among the most respected members of the Austrian national team.
David Alaba Bio – The Training Swagger:
Alaba loves to adopt his special type of workout, which gives his fans some viewing pleasure. An example is seen below.
The Water Bucket Man:
This is David Alaba’s own version of the Ice Bucket Challenge. It’s a Coldwater challenge.
David Alaba has adopted the Cold Water Challenge as a way to promote total awareness of the popular disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which is also known as motor neurone disease. The disease is known in the US as Lou Gehrig’s disease and it often encourages money donations to research.
David Alaba Facts – Best Friend:
Alaba has developed a close personal and professional relationship with team-mate Franck Ribery.
The pair have an excellent understanding of one another’s game and frequently cite the other as an influence on their own improvement.
Ribery once said…, “David is a really good player and I’m happy that such a great player is in our team.” And Alaba is also full of equal praise for the Frenchman: “We get on really well with each other. He’s a joker sometimes, but he can really play.” said Alaba.
David and Franck- The two best friends
Love for Piano:
One of David’s hobbies is no other than playing the Piano. Here is Rudiger and Eder Militao‘s defensive midfield partner doing what he knows how to do best.
David Alaba- A piano specialist
Oktoberfest:
The German festival, Oktoberfest is the world’s largest Volksfest. It is held annually in the city of Munich, Bavaria, Germany. The popular Oktoberfest is a 16- to 18-day folk festival which runs from mid or late September down to the first weekend in October.
While his teammates celebrate with their girlfriends and wives, Alaba does the opposite. His celebration ends with the Bayern Munich team. Alaba takes off his uniform after he leaves the Bayern club arena.
Participation for Muslim footballers such as Xherdan Shaqiri, Franck Ribery and Medhi Benatia is only limited to wearing the uniforms. They don’t hold drinks as their religion forbids that. See below!
Bank Austria Endorsement:
In 2014, David Alaba became the chosen celebrity to become the face of Bank Austria. The aim of this endowment was to allow him to represent “a new generation of the young, and young at heart men and women, who want to be able to do their banking where, how and whenever they want”, according to their press release.
Research shows that the bank’s choice of Alaba came when they realized he was the youngest in the country (age 19) to win the very prestigious vote for the Austrian Footballer of the Year in 2011.
