Leipzig professional honored
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Christoph Baumgartner has been voted Austria’s Footballer of the Year 2024. The Lower Austrian won the election conducted by the “APA” news agency among the twelve Bundesliga coaches for the first time. The 25-year-old from RB Leipzig replaces record winner David Alaba from Real Madrid, who was out of action for a year due to a torn cruciate ligament.
Baumgartner came out on top with 46 points, ahead of Sturm Graz’s Otar Kiteishvili and Inter Milan’s Marko Arnautovic. “That makes me very happy and fills me with pride. It is an award for my hard work and achievements. I know that this is not a given. We have a lot of very good players in Austria and in the league, so I’m particularly pleased that I was selected,” said the Leipzig professional.
Former Nuremberg coach Robert Klauß, who has been on the sidelines at Rapid Vienna since November 2023, justified his choice of Baumgartner as follows: “He has had an outstanding international year for the ÖFB with seven goals, numerous assists and a strong European Championship. He has also long been a constant at one of the top clubs in the German Bundesliga.”
Baumgartner moved from TSG Hoffenheim to Leipzig in June 2023 for 25.5 million euros, making him the most expensive Austrian footballer in history to this day. He was chosen particularly because of his achievements in the national team. He was the first Austrian team player since Hans Krankl in 1976 to score in five consecutive international matches. In the test against Slovakia in Bratislava on March 23, he scored a “world record goal” after 6.3 seconds, the fastest goal ever scored in an international match.