Munich (Germany) (AFP)

Austrian Bayern Munich defender David Alaba, the centerpiece of the team that currently dominates world football, confirmed on Tuesday that he would leave the German club at the end of the season, without revealing his destination.

"I made the decision to look for a new challenge after this season, I will leave the club," assured the 28-year-old, who arrived at Bayern at the age of 16, in a televised press conference from Munich.

The press has already announced it to Real Madrid, but he confirmed that his agent was also in contact with FC Barcelona.

Alaba has denied his departure was linked to his overly high financial demands, as ex-club president Uli Hoeness suggested.

Rekordmeister boss Karl-Heinz Rummenigge paid tribute to him: "He has always been a nice person. He continues to give his all to FC Bayern", he told Sky, "it is a serious, kind boy, whom we all love. He deserved to be treated well until his last day at FC Bayern. We are going to part ways in friendship ".

"It was not an easy decision to make, because Bayern are my family," admitted Alaba, "but my goal is to improve every year, and to get out of my comfort zone".

A versatile player (full-back, central or defensive midfielder), he played a major role in Bayern's golden decade, which looks set to continue.

His most prestigious titles with Munich are two Champions Leagues (2013, 2020), two Club World Cups, nine German league titles and six national cups.

After having been for a long time the accomplice of Franck Ribéry on the left flank of the team, he brilliantly installed last season in central hinge, to participate in the historic sextuplet of the club: treble cup-championship-Champions League, super-cups of 'Germany and Europe and World Club.

© 2021 AFP