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Udinese sprung a surprise with the high-profile signing of David Alaba, who had been without a club since leaving Real Madrid in the close-season, on Thursday.<\/strong><\/p>\n The Austria defender is a four-time Champions League winner, having lifted the trophy twice with both Bayern Munich and Madrid.<\/p>\n The 34-year-old joins an Udinese side with just four points from their opening five matches of the Serie A season, after finishing 10th in the Italian top flight last term.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve had so many experiences and won so much throughout my career, but one thing hasn\u2019t changed \u2014 I want to win again,\u201d Alaba said in an Udinese statement after signing a deal until the end of the season.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to compete again. And I want to achieve something special once more. That is the mindset I\u2019m bringing to Udinese.\u201d<\/p>\n Alaba has not played since captaining Austria at the World Cup, where they were knocked out by eventual champions Spain in the last 32.<\/p>\n He has made 117 appearances for his national side, scoring 15 goals.<\/p>\n Last season was the first time Udinese posted a top-half finish in Serie A since the 2012\/13 campaign, while they have not played in Europe for 13 years.<\/p>\n \u201cI certainly haven\u2019t come to wind down my career,\u201d insisted Alaba.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m still too ambitious for that, and I still strongly believe in what I can do on the pitch.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to keep pushing, perform at the highest level in Serie A week in and week out, and achieve something meaningful. I\u2019m really excited about this challenge, and I still have a lot to prove to myself.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n