Austria international footballer Guido Burgstaller is recovering after suffering a fractured skull in an attack in Vienna over the weekend, his club have confirmed.
The Rapid Vienna striker, 35, suffered “suffered serious head injuries” and a “basal skull fracture” after being attacked by an unknown man in the centre of the Austrian capital, they said.
The club added that Burgstaller was examined and treated in hospital and will remain under observation in the coming days.
Rapid Vienna say they are hopeful of a “speedy recovery” but Burgstaller is likely to be sidelined from playing for “several months”.
The club also called on authorities to “bring the as-yet-unknown perpetrator to justice quickly”.
Wir sind sprachlos und zutiefst betroffen. Guido #Burgstaller wurde in der Nacht auf Samstag Opfer eines körperlichen Angriffs.
Die ganze Rapid-Familie steht dir bei, Burgi! 💚
▶️ https://t.co/txWCLNkRCA#SCR2024 pic.twitter.com/oIMaon9pyF
— SK Rapid (@skrapid) December 16, 2024
Burgstaller, who has been capped 26 times by his country, has played 24 times in all competitions for the Austrian Bundesliga side this season, scoring eight goals.
He became Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s second signing for Cardiff City in the summer of 2014 but went on to make just three appearances for the Welsh club.
He has spent time with FC Nurnberg, Schalke and St Pauli since before he joined Rapid Vienna for a second time in 2022 following a previous spell between 2011 and 2014.
Burgstaller was one of three Vienna players left out of the national team squad by head coach Ralf Rangnick for their March friendlies earlier this year after they were involved in homophobic chanting.
Burgstaller, Marco Grull and Niklas Hedl were among those filmed singing homophobic chants after their side’s 3-0 win over city rivals Austria Vienna on February 26. Videos of their actions appeared on social media, prompting apologies from Rapid, Burgstaller — the club captain — and Grull.
“(The players must) seriously address this issue and understand what it means for people when they are publicly insulted and discriminated against in such a way”, Rangnick said, via German outlet Sportschau. “That is something I will not tolerate in my team.
“Everything we stand for with the national team is diametrically opposed to the other end of the value scale.”
(Christian Bruna/Getty Images)
