For the first time since 2020, Austria’s footballer of the year is not David Alaba: the twelve Bundesliga Austria coaches instead chose Leipzig’s Christoph Baumgartner.
Christoph Baumgartner has had an eventful year in football. The individual coronation followed this Friday, when the 25-year-old will play for RB Leipzig against FC Bayern from 8:30 p.m. Baumgartner was named Austria’s footballer of the year for the first time.
The attacking midfielder, who now has 167 Bundesliga appearances (32 goals), has the twelve Austrian Bundesliga coaches who voted for him to thank for this. Baumgartner’s win also means that, unsurprisingly, the dominance of long-term injured David Alaba is coming to an end for the time being.
The Real Madrid defender had already won the award from 2020 to 2023, having previously won it from 2011 to 2016. The last winner not named Alaba was a certain Erling Haaland in 2019.
Now, for the first time, the Lower Austrian has won the APA news agency’s poll. Baumgartner won with 46 points, well ahead of Otar Kiteishvili (Sturm Graz/21) and Marko Arnautovic (Inter Milan/8).
“I’m very happy and proud,” says Baumgartner: ‘It’s an award for my hard work and my achievements. I know that this is not a matter of course.’
Baumgartner had caused a sensation with Austria’s national team in particular that year. At the European Championship in Germany, unquestionably a career highlight, the tireless instigator was used in all four games.
Then there is March 23 in Bratislava, which has stuck in the minds of all Austrians: In Slovakia, Baumgartner scored the fastest international goal in history after 6.3 seconds. The ÖFB team won 2-0. Baumgartner was also the first Austrian since Hans Krankl in 1976 to score in five consecutive international matches.
With Leipzig, who signed him from TSG Hoffenheim in June 2023 for an estimated 27 million euros, making him the most expensive Austrian ever, Baumgartner is currently ranked fourth in the Bundesliga with 27 points – and thus six behind leaders Bayern. Baumgartner has played 22 competitive games this season and scored three goals, two of which were in the Champions League.