In brief
The 35-year-old player is expected to be sidelined for several months as authorities investigate the incident.
Rapid Vienna's striker Guido Burgstaller was left with a fractured skull after a violent attack in the heart of Vienna over the weekend, according to a statement from his club, Rapid Vienna. The 35-year-old footballer, who has represented Austria 26 times, suffered the significant head injury when an unidentified assailant delivered a "brutal blow," causing Burgstaller to fall and sustain the fracture.After the incident, he received immediate medical attention at the scene before being transported to the hospital, where he is expected to remain for a few days while receiving further treatment. Rapid Vienna expressed hope that the police will swiftly find the perpetrator responsible for this attack.Burgstaller's career includes stints with Cardiff City after joining the Welsh team in 2014. He made only three appearances there before heading to Germany, where he played for clubs such as Nurnberg, Schalke, and St. Pauli. He returned to Rapid Vienna in 2022, continuing to contribute to Austrian football.Interestingly, Burgstaller was one of three Austrian players dropped by national manager Ralf Rangnick in 2023 after a controversy involving homophobic chants following a match against local rivals, Austria Vienna. The current situation adds another chapter to Burgstaller's complex football narrative as he now faces a lengthy recovery from his injuries.
