Terrible news has shocked Austria and Germany: Guido Burgstaller, who once scored goals for FC Schalke 04 in the Bundesliga, was seriously injured in the head in a physical attack.
Football Germany is worried about Guido Burgstaller. The former Schalke 04, 1. FC Nürnberg and FC St. Pauli striker was the victim of a physical attack in downtown Vienna at the weekend.
As his current club SK Rapid Vienna announced on Monday morning, the 35-year-old was attacked by a man in the presence of witnesses. In the fall that resulted from the brutal attack, the Austrian suffered, among other things, a fracture to the base of his skull.
According to Rapid information, Burgstaller was “immediately” taken to a Vienna hospital. “Unfortunately, he will have to spend the next few days there and the fact is that he will not be able to practice his job for several months,” the club statement continued.
Nothing was initially known about the background to the crime. Rapid said they trust the responsible authorities to quickly bring the previously unknown perpetrator to justice.
FC Schalke 04 reacts to a serious attack
Austria’s record champions wished Burgstaller a “quick and uncomplicated recovery as possible” and asked that the privacy of Guido Burgstaller and his family be respected. FC Schalke 04 also reacted immediately. “What a despicable act. All the best and a speedy recovery. Our thoughts are with you, Burgi!” wrote the second division team on X, the former Twitter.
Burgstaller, who played for Rapid from 2011 to 2014, moved from Cardiff FC to 1. FC Nürnberg in the summer of 2015.
With 33 goals in 63 second division games for the Franconians – in 2016 the club missed promotion back to the Bundesliga after a 1-1 and 0-1 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt in relegation – “Burgi” recommended a transfer to FC Schalke in 2017 04.
The Carinthian native scored 24 goals in 95 Bundesliga games for the Royal Blues, with whom he immediately became German runners-up.
In late summer 2020, Burgstaller moved back to the 2nd Bundesliga. In two seasons for FC St. Pauli, the 26-time ÖFB international scored 29 goals in 53 matches. After returning to Rapid in 2022, “Burgi” wanted to end his career at the end of the current season.