Somebody had to wear Ramos’ number and it will be Alaba.
Real Madrid’s newest signing David Alaba will wear number 4 for the team. The defender is being unveiled as a Real Madrid player right now and he held the club’s shirt in front of the media with his name and number on the shirt.
Therefore, Alaba will be the player wearing what was Sergio Ramos’ number for the last 16 years. The rules in Spanish football force the clubs to register their players with numbers from 1 to 25 unless they are also registered with Castilla, so someone simply had to take number 4 and be Ramos’ successor.
Alaba’s experience and resume make him a good candidate for that number, even if at the end of the day it’s just a number. The defender showed his character and personality by embracing this challenge.
It’s not clear if Alaba will play most of his minutes as a center-back, though. Real Madrid are expected to sell Raphael Varane to Manchester United in the next few days and Alaba could be his replacement in the lineup, although he could also play as a left-back and even as a midfielder if needed.