Guido Burgstaller: Ex-Bundesliga professional beaten and seriously injured

Football professional Guido Burgstaller is in hospital after an assault. As his club Rapid Vienna announced, the Austrian was attacked and beaten by an unknown man in downtown Vienna. Burgstaller fell and suffered, among other things, a fractured skull.

According to the club, the striker was examined in a Vienna hospital and had to spend a few days there. He is facing a long injury break and Burgstaller will not be able to play for a few months. “We are speechless and deeply affected,” and wished the 35-year-old “a recovery as quickly and without complications as possible.”

According to witnesses, Burgstaller is said to have had an argument with the unknown man early Saturday morning. The perpetrator struck and then fled. The Vienna State Criminal Police Office is investigating. Rapid Vienna said it trusts “the responsible authorities that the as yet unknown perpetrator will be quickly brought to justice.” The association also asked that the privacy of Guido Burgstaller and his family be respected. Other clubs from the Austrian Bundesliga also expressed well wishes on social media.

Burgstaller played in Germany for 1. FC Nürnberg, Schalke 04 and FC St. Pauli. He played 90 Bundesliga games for Schalke and scored 25 goals. He played 26 times for the Austrian national team. He has been playing for Rapid Vienna since summer 2022.

The serious injuries after the attack on the street will most likely mean the end of the striker’s career. Burgstaller had already announced that he wanted to quit after the end of the season. Now it looks like he won’t be able to stand on the pitch anymore.