Austria’s top scorer in an interview
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Johannes Eggestein was once considered a promising attacking talent, led FC St. Pauli into the Bundesliga and is now hunting for goals for Austria Vienna. In an interview with Transfermarkt, the 27-year-old attacker looks at the end of his time in Hamburg, the turbulent early days in Vienna and the difficult transition from youth to senior level. He also shows foresight when it comes to his career after his career.
Shortly after the conversation with Transfermarkt, Eggestein contributed a goal and an assist in Austria’s 3-1 win against champions Sturm Graz. His goal contributions were ten and eleven in the 17th league game – the most in his team. The start was anything but easy, as Eggestein only moved to Vienna at the end of July and missed large parts of the preparation. “It was a cold start for me because I didn’t take part in the preparation, had to keep myself fit individually and joined the team for the first games. From the first international break things went a little better for me because I was able to develop a feeling for the club and my teammates. I now really feel like I’ve arrived, also in terms of sport,” is his interim conclusion.
In the summer, Eggestein left FC St. Pauli, where he was involved in 33 goals in 85 games in three years and celebrated promotion to the Bundesliga. “Those in charge wanted to change the playing philosophy and since my contract had expired, the easiest option was to go our separate ways. I had an incredibly nice time at St. Pauli. I always had the feeling that not only the athlete, but also the person was in the foreground in this club. I appreciated that very much and that’s why it was painful to leave St. Pauli. On the other hand, I also had the feeling that I would no longer play the sporting role that I had in previous years.” Last season, the former youth international was one of the top performers and had ten goals – only Morgan Guilavogui collected more. Nevertheless, the separation followed.
“I found the Austria Vienna club immediately interesting. Those responsible clearly showed me what role I could take on within the club and the team. Here too, I had the feeling that they saw me as a person and athlete and did not just trust scouting reports and my previous experiences. Austria is a large and exciting traditional club,” says Eggestein, explaining his decision in favor of Austria Vienna.
Eggestein: “Was brought in to take responsibility”
Eggestein reports that he was well received at Austria and feels comfortable in both the city and the club. He has had a turbulent first few months. With sports director Manuel Ortlechner and sports director Jürgen Werner, two important decision-makers have left the club. “As a team, we do well by focusing on our performance and sticking to the things that we can influence – this doesn’t include the work of sports directors and board members,” says Eggestein. “In football, it is primarily the sporting decision-makers who have an influence on the team who work with them every day. This includes everyone from the coaching team, because we exchange ideas with them every day.”
With a market value of 1.8 million euros, Eggestein is, after Abubakr Barry, the most valuable professional in the Austria Vienna squad, which secured a ticket to qualify for the Conference League with third place last season. There they failed in the 3rd round against the Czech representative FC Banik Ostrau. In the Bundesliga, the club is in fifth place after 17 matchdays, just one point ahead of local rivals Rapid Vienna, who would currently only end up in the qualifying group in seventh place. “The league is very balanced and almost all games are close. It makes a big difference whether you can add more from the bench and when you have so many injuries it makes the situation more difficult.”
The injury concerns are likely to give coach Stephan Helm a headache, especially in attack. On deadline day, the club sold Maurice Malone to Sturm Graz for 2 million euros. At the end of November, first Noah Botic (torn syndesmotic ligament) and then Manprit Sarkaria (torn cruciate ligament) were seriously injured. “When my direct strike partners left, it wasn’t easy; after all, certain mechanisms that had previously been laboriously trained fail. In the summer, a large part of the team was reassembled, and that was a challenge,” explains Eggestein, who sees himself challenged. “I was also brought in to take responsibility, lead players and coach them. I really enjoy doing that and try to help the team where I can.”
Eggestein: Stepping up to the pros is “physically and mentally” difficult
Eggestein was trained by Werder Bremen in his youth and is earning a reputation as a great attacking talent. In the U19 Bundesliga he scored 39 goals in 28 appearances, in the U17 it was 41 in 51. In the professional sector he only managed to score double figures in 2020/21 at LASK and 2023/24 at St. Pauli. “You can’t compare youth and professional football at all, there are different aspects to it, because very few young players make the jump straight away. You need time to get into professional football physically and mentally because it’s a completely different place. You play with people who are in their late 20s, who are much further along physically and mentally than you are. Mentally, the increasing pressure is a challenge that you often don’t see. You can’t compare.”
This is also why Eggestein has adapted his playing style. “In the youth sector, I was a classic striker in the penalty area who defined himself by a lot of shots and goals. In the professional sector, I became more of a team-playing striker who doesn’t define himself by goals, but by his part in the game – how many chances do I create, how many attacks do I initiate. I tried to expand my game because that was an opportunity for me to gain a permanent foothold in professional football,” says the attacker. “Many people prefer a 1.90 meter tall, real center forward or someone who can run 35 km/h, but that’s just not me. So I had to look for other options in order to be important for the team.”
Eggestein combines professional football and studies
At 27, Eggestein is in the middle of his career, but he is already thinking about what will happen next. He started studying psychology in Hamburg, which he continued when he moved to Vienna, which helped him in all areas of life. “I started studying out of interest because I find the topic exciting. Then the opportunity arose and I now identify with the course because I really enjoy psychology. I got involved with psychology at an early age. I learned to deal with my feelings, which also helps me to deal with certain challenges better on the pitch.”
Eggestein could stay in football after his active career, but he is open to new tasks. “I can imagine staying in football, but it’s not a must, because I have many other interests outside of sport. I try to let it come to me, because this career path is usually something that arises from the course of a career and a life,” he says patiently. “Basically, I focus on the here and now and that means that I want to be successful with Austria Vienna. Our goal is to get into the top 6. I want to have a good and successful time at Austria Vienna because it is a big, traditional club that is one of the top teams in Austria. I would like to make my contribution to that.”