David Alaba has spoken about his decision to leave a “comfort zone” at Bayern Munich.
The 28-year-old has spent 13 years with the Bundesliga giants, but will leave as a free agent at the end of this season.
Alaba is believed to be heading to Real Madrid, after a trophy-laden stint with Bayern.
Quizzed on the emotions that leaving Munich will bring and why he is heading down this path, Alaba has told the club’s official website: “It’s always difficult when something comes to an end and it’s no secret that I’ve always really felt at home here.
“Obviously, I’m leaving FC Bayern with a tear in my eye but also looking forward to my future at the same time.
“It wasn’t a decision against the club, but I decided I’d like to do something new and take another step forward.
“To grow, you have to leave your ‘comfort zone’ – and I deliberately put that word in quotation marks because it could possibly be misunderstood.
“At FC Bayern, the expectations on the pitch are always extreme from the management, in the dressing room or from yourself.
“I think that perhaps you have to go into the unknown to be able to mature again.”