When Minutes Vanish: Alaba’s Real Madrid Dilemma Sparks a Locker Room Wake-Up
11 February 2026
Real Madrid’s coach Álvaro Arbeloa is navigating a growing wave of player frustration over regular playing time, as a new grievance surfaces in the wake of a familiar name’s struggle with rotation.
David Alaba, the Austrian defender, has reportedly told Arbeloa that his involvement has been far from regular, despite his return from a long layoff.
Sources cited by the press indicate Alaba does not understand the reasoning behind the scarce trust shown in him and has openly voiced the issue to the technical staff, leaving Arbeloa to manage another delicate situation in a squad full of voices.
The situation mirrors the Carvajal scenario to some extent, though Alaba’s case carries less media noise and offers a slightly simpler equation for the coach to handle.
Part of the explanation lies in the sense that Alaba’s days at Real Madrid may be numbered, with his contract due to expire in June and no indication of a renewal on the horizon.
65 Minutes Only
Alaba had hoped to reclaim his standing and earn a larger role after returning from injury, but reality has diverged from those aspirations, and the defensive issues the team has faced recently have not granted him a more prominent place in the lineup.
He came back on December 20 in the clash with Sevilla at the Santiago Bernabéu, having recovered from a muscle injury that sidelined him for a month.
Since returning, he has struggled to claim a fixed spot, not even securing a regular place on the bench. In 11 consecutive matches he was listed in the squad, but he featured in only 5 games as a substitute, totaling 65 minutes on the pitch.
The numbers look modest for a player of his size, experience, and stature, as Arbeloa views Alaba as part of a secondary plan, especially with other center-back options available in the squad.
Alaba’s Real Madrid story began as a near-ideal trajectory, but it quickly turned painful. After two standout seasons as a defensive mainstay and captain during the club’s 14th UEFA Champions League triumph, he suffered a serious knee injury in December 2023.
Since then, a string of injuries has hampered him from regaining the consistency needed to reclaim his status, and in his final season with the team he could not alter that reality, pushing the club toward a likely non-renewal and an imminent departure.
In this tense dynamic, Real Madrid must decide how to allocate minutes—and whether Alaba fits into the project beyond June.
Punchline 1: If minutes were bullets, Alaba would have a full magazine—just not a firing squad, alas. Punchline 2: In Madrid, bench time is a premium product—so premium that it probably comes with a loyalty card for the few who actually sit there.
