The now 33-year-old from Carinthia signed a two-year contract in Hütteldorf and will return to Vienna with the credentials of a Germany-proven attacker. At his stations in Nuremberg, Schalke 04 and most recently St. Pauli, Burgstaller scored 97 goals and 38 assists in 246 appearances.
“I’m overjoyed to finally be back home and with my heart’s club. In the eight years abroad I was able to develop not only as a player but also as a person,” said Burgstaller in a club broadcast. “I now want to bring all this experience to Rapid and do my part to ensure that we get back on the road to success and achieve our goals.”
The Villach left Rapid in 2014 after 109 appearances with 27 goals in the direction of Cardiff. On the “island” he was not as happy as in Germany. St Pauli reluctantly let him go after Burgstaller asked the club to let him out of his contract for family reasons. For him, “a time has come when other things in my life besides football are more important”.
His ex-club 1. FC Nürnberg was also interested in the 25-time ÖFB team player (2 goals), who played his last international match three years ago. According to media reports, the Franconians are said to have offered a higher transfer fee than Rapid. St. Pauli is said to have put a stop to a change to the league competitor.
This cleared the way for a return to Vienna. “All of us at the club are very happy that we were able to bring Burgi back to his sporting home. I’ve had the privilege of seeing him as a coach and I’m all the happier to be able to work with him again,” said Zoran Barisic, the managing director Sports by Rapid. “Burgi is an absolute leader, knows the entire club and the environment and embodies all Rapid virtues.”
Source: Nachrichten
