Nigerian Prince's Father, Filipino Nurse Mother, Alaba Chooses To Defend Austrian National Team

David Alaba (Instagram @ da_27)

JAKARTA - David Alaba made his 83rd appearance for Austria when they face the Netherlands in their second Group C game on Thursday night. Alaba is one of the mainstays of the team nicknamed Burschen, even though his parents are from Nigeria and the Philippines.

The defender, who recently moved from Bayern Munich to Real Madrid, made his international debut for Austria in 2009 after representing them at Under-17, Under-19, and Under-21 levels.

Alaba was born to his mother Gina in Vienna in June 1992, but neither of his parents is of Austrian descent.

Her father George, Austria's first blackguard and a music legend in the country was a prince in Nigeria, while Gina, who worked as a nurse, was from the Philippines.

After initially studying economics at the University of Vienna, Alaba Senior eventually dropped out to focus on his career as a musician.

Due to the fame of his father, who was even awarded Austrian citizenship, Alaba and his sister Rose May enjoyed their celebrity status at a young age.

In the late 1990s, George wanted his two children to carve out independent careers of their own.

Rose May decided to follow in her father's footsteps and took piano lessons at the age of eight, while David chose football.

It was a bold choice from a kid like Alaba considering Austria paid little attention to football at that time.

However, after spending a year with local side SV Aspern, George realized his son's potential and quickly arranged for him to join Austrian Vienna - the country's most successful club - at the age of 10.

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Alaba rose through the ranks at the Vienna club quickly and, at the age of 16, Bayern Munich scouts toured Austria at a time when they liked what they saw.

He was then invited to play for Bayern's youth academy, a move that would prove to be very significant in his football career.

After a stint in the club's reserve team and then made nine first-team appearances, Alaba spent the 2010/11 season on loan at Hoffenheim before returning to being a key member of Jupp Heynckes' team in Munich.

Over the next decade, he established himself as an invaluable member of the Bayern squad: making 431 appearances, scoring 33 goals, winning 10 Bundesliga titles, six DFP-Pokals, and two Champions Leagues.

Rose May, meanwhile, is a well-known singer-songwriter who secured the top spot on Austrian iTunes charts for more than four weeks in 2016.

It's fair to say that the Alaba family is a collection of talented humans.