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NIGERIAN-BORN DAVID ALABA BECOMES BUNDESLIGA’S MOST DECORATED PLAYER!

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David Alaba who is of Nigerian father as edged himself into the record books of the German League, the Bundesliga.

He and Thomas Muller have become the joint most decorated players in Bundesliga history as a result of Bayern Munich’s ninth consecutive title, which is the 10th of their respective careers.

Bayern sealed the title before even playing, with Borussia Dortmund’s 3-2 win  over RB Leipzig ensuring the leaders cannot now be caught in the remaining games of the season.

Bayern dominate the records. A number of players have eight Bundesliga titles to their name, with Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Oliver Kahn, Arjen Robben, Mehmet Scholl, Jerome Boateng and Javi Martinez all on that number.

Former Bayern star Franck Ribery has nine and has now been joined by Robert Lewandowski, who won his first two with Dortmund, and Manuel Neuer.

But, having previously been level with Ribery, who left Bayern in 2019, Muller and Alaba are now the first ever players to have achieved 10 Bundesliga titles.

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Each player won their first way back in 2009/10 under the guidance of former Bayern coach Louis van Gaal, who had a reputation for developing young talent.

Alaba was just 17 at the time and made only a handful of appearances, while a 20-year-old Muller  featured in every Bundesliga game and scored 13 goals.

By the 2012/13 season when Bayern won their next title, Alaba had caught up and was himself also increasingly regular in the championship-winning side led by Jupp Heynckes.

The titles have flowed ever since. Both Muller and Alaba have picked up further Bundesliga trophies in 2013/14, 2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20 and now 2020/21.

Both have played a vital role this season as Bayern continued their historic domestic domination, with Alaba starting almost every game primarily in the centre of defence.

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Muller, meanwhile, is the only Bundesliga  player to reach double figures in goals and assists, leading the league in the latter.

For Alaba, the 10th will be his last…for now at least. The Austria international is leaving Bayern as a free agent at the end of the season and is widely expected to join Real Madrid.

-90min

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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