Not every footballer is like David Alaba. The Bayern Munich defender has appeared in nearly 400 games during the past decade, helping the German club win virtually every major honor. He used to be recognized mostly for his football skills, but in recent years he’s gotten almost as much attention for his off-the-field fashion sense and appearances at fashion weeks.

“You can express something with your own style and body language,” Alaba tells HYPEBEAST. “Your sense of fashion is a window into your personality and your values.” The Austrian midfielder, who favors Dior, Maison Margiela, Louis Vuitton, and Bottega Veneta, says that his personal style is not representative of the normal footballer.

“Your sense of fashion is a window into your personality and your values.”

As the number of professional athletes with an interest in fashion and style grows, Alaba is among them. Héctor Bellern walked for Louis Vuitton last year, and the youthful Everton combo of Tom Davies and Dominic Calvert-Lewin made waves at New York Fashion Week during the winter break. Alaba said of his time at fashion week, “I love the fact that people all over the world come together, share their love of fashion, and get inspiration and what fashion means.” As a football fan, “it’s also very important for me to see something quite different to the football world.”

Alaba has been a member of Bayern Munich’s roster for 10 years, but he didn’t make the first squad until this season. When Alaba made the move from his Vienna youth club to Bayern, he was the youngest player in the club’s history at the tender age of 16. Adding, “Munich became my second home, I love the people here and the vibe in the city,” he says, “I really feel at home here.”

Alaba has been an integral part of the first team for ten years and the city for twelve. His consistency at left back was crucial as the club assembled an undefeated squad. But the 2013–14 season, when the team completed the historic treble by also winning the Bundesliga and the DFB Pokal, stands out in his mind as the best of that span. Alaba has also learned from some of the top coaches in the world, such as Pep Guardiola, with whom he worked for three years.

“First of all it was, and is, a pleasure for me to work with them,” he adds of the club’s great names, such as Carlo Ancelotti, Louis Van Gaal, and Pep Guardiola. Every manager has something I can learn from and use to better myself. I not only grew as a person and athlete alongside my teammates, but also on the field.

Bayern’s 2019–20 season got off to a rough start, with manager Niko Kova being sacked in early November after a string of disappointing defeats. Bayern came back to the top of the league after a rough start. The squad is presently favored to win the title for the eighth year in a row and has a significant advantage over Chelsea after the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal matchup.

Hоwever, a revival by Bayern may nоt be pоssible. Due tо the cоrоnavirus оutbreak, German fооtball was оfficially halted оn March 13. It is presently unknоwn if and when the seasоn will restart.

Alaba agrees that the international football federations’ decision to suspend him was the correct one. “If football can make even a small contribution to help, we must all heed expert advice,” he continues. It’s more vital right now to focus on everyone’s health than it is to have a good practice or win a game.

“After trying times, people require something that may restore their faith in the future and fill them with optimism. I have no doubt that football will retain its allure.

There is widespread doubt over the future of ongoing sports seasons. The start of Euro 2020, originally scheduled for June, has been pushed back a year so that teams can finish their home leagues and continental events before the tournament begins.

When football is permitted to get going again, Alaba believes it will be a positive influence. “It will still have an important role in our society,” he says. “After trying times, people require something that may restore their faith in the future and fill them with optimism. I have no doubt that football will retain its allure.