Young bull on the upswing

Hofer has found his fun again at Liefering

Raphael Hofer (left) is one of Liefering's top performers and an integral part of the starting eleven.(Bild: GEPA pictures/David Geieregger)

Raphael Hofer had a difficult time at Blau-Weiß Linz in the fall. However, the 21-year-old has regained his former strength at Liefering. The Upper Austrian feels right at home in his adopted home and wants to apply for higher tasks.

Liefering kicker Raphael Hofer (with Salzburg agency More than sport) had high hopes of making his breakthrough into professional soccer. After signing his first professional contract with Red Bull Salzburg in the summer, he was promptly loaned out to promoted team Blau-Weiß Linz. The Upper Austrians wanted him to gain plenty of match practice in Austria's top division.

At the beginning, this worked extremely well. At the start of the season, the 21-year-old played 90 minutes, and in the following three games he played at least one half. After that, things went into steep decline. Out of a possible 17 Bundesliga games, only six were on the books after the fall. "It's hard to say why it didn't work out. Soccer means ups and downs," says Hofer. But the ambitious kicker also knows: "Attitude was never the problem."

Raphael Hofer has always played the full 90 minutes as a left-back.(Bild: GEPA pictures/David Geieregger)

Adam Daghim (center) and Luka Reischl (left) are the young bulls' strikers.(Bild: GEPA pictures/David Geieregger)

With this mentality, he has been giving his all again since the start of spring for Liefering, where he once had his first taste of adult soccer. He feels right at home with the young bulls again: "We generally have very good team chemistry, we're a great squad!" A team that scored maximum points in three games in 2024 and in which Hofer plays an important role. As a left-back, he hasn't missed a single minute so far. "He gives us a lot with his energy and his personality," says coach Onur Cinel, who is happy to have the Upper Austrian in his squad.

New home found
But he no longer sees himself as such. "Salzburg is home for me. And playing there again now, just having fun and playing and hopefully being a top performer, is the best thing there is for a footballer," says the 21-year-old, who is in a good phase again. With the fun he has rediscovered, he hopes to actually make the leap to the big bulls in the future: "That's the goal, of course!"