Despite a major upheaval last summer, Red Bull Salzburg were already crowned champions in the Bundesliga four rounds before the end of the season. Matthias Jaissle turned a young team into an ambitious team that caused a sensation not only in Austria.
Record points in the basic round and only one defeat. Red Bull Salzburg have once again claimed the Bundesliga title in the most convincing manner and can now put on the crown in the Austrian top flight for the ninth time in a row. After a 5-0 home win over Vienna Austria, the Mozartites are now unbeaten at the top of the table with four rounds to go and are already celebrating their 13th championship since Red Bull joined the club. “The important thing is that we won today and showed what we can do. We’re very proud of the team performance throughout the season and of every individual here,” Noah Okafor said in celebrating winning the title again.
Most wins in a national league season
The Salzburgers laid the foundation for their title defence at the start of the season when they won their first ten league games under Matthias Jaissle and, with a goal difference of 26:5, clearly topped the table with a ten-point lead over their closest rivals Sturm Graz. They set a new record with 55 points in 22 rounds in the basic round and have only been beaten once so far this season.
“That’s what distinguished us throughout the season, that we always went into the games with a good head on our shoulders. We never let up and performed really well despite the upheaval in the summer. Kudos to everyone,” said captain Andreas Ulmer, who was not spared a beer shower or two, summing up Salzburg’s successful season. They also reached the final of the ÖFB Cup and qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history.
After the league division, they didn’t let their guard down in the city of Mozart, winning all of their first six games in the upper play-off and sending a clear signal that there is no getting past the young, fierce team of the serial champions again this year, which has the youngest of all teams with an average age of the squad of 22.6 years. “We enjoyed the whole day. To be able to celebrate in front of a crowd like that is a blast. It’s just top notch. Winning a title is never easy, now we want to enjoy it. We made it possible for ourselves through hard work, competed very confidently and can look back on a beautiful season,” says defender Rasmus Kristensen.
Ulmer with twelfth championship title
With Karim Adeyemi, Luka Sucic, Nicolas Seiwald, Oumar Solet, Mohamed Camara, Benjamin Sesko or the young Danish junior team player Maurits Kjaergaard, some youngsters took an impressive development under the supervision of Coach Jaissle and convinced not only in the national league, but also showed on the international stage that they can definitely compete with European top teams. “The boys have done very well this season. They were always motivated, have a lot of talent and always showed themselves ready to fight at all times,” Kristensen praises his younger colleagues.
By winning the title, Matthias Jaissle, who only celebrated his 34th birthday on 5 April, also crowned himself the youngest champion coach in Bundesliga history. “It’s a nice side note, but this is a title for the club, for the staff, fans and players who have worked incredibly hard all year. It’s not something that can be taken for granted and I’m extremely grateful because of that.” Jaissle’s young age benefits him especially when celebrating with his professionals. “It’s definitely an advantage,” laughs the championship coach.
But Salzburg are far from satisfied with the championship win, now they have to focus on the upcoming ÖFB Cup final against SV Ried in order to finish the season in the best possible way by winning the double. “We won’t be celebrating too much today, because we want to crown the season with the ÖFB Cup victory,” said a visibly radiant Andreas Ulmer, who celebrated his twelfth Bundesliga title with Salzburg.
