Martin Brenner

The new Lustenau coach has green and white roots

Austria Lustenau is Martin Brenner's first professional club.

(Bild: www.austria-lustenau.at)

The new coach of Austria Lustenau once came to Vorarlberg through his grandfather. He built his life in the Ländle. What Martin Brenner thinks about the Green-Whites.

His accent has a Spanish tinge. That's because Martin Brenner's roots are in Uruguay. "My grandfather was Austrian, though, and I came here through him," explains the 38-year-old, who has red-white-red citizenship. After a few footballing stops in his old home country, Brenner finally found his new home in Lustenau. "I met my wife here, I've lived here for eight years and we wanted our children to go to school here," reveals the new Austria coach.

The fact that he is now making his debut as a professional coach at the club close to his heart is like a dream come true. "For me, it's the next step in my development after VfB Hohenems," Brenner officially starts work at the relegated Bundesliga club on June 17. What particularly appeals to him about his new job? "There is a clear goal. Lustenau want to get back into the Bundesliga. They are certainly a big team in League Two. When you're playing for the title, it's like pure adrenaline. It does create a certain amount of pressure, but I see that as a positive."

Attractive soccer

So the aim is to be at the top. "But you mustn't forget that relegation also means a major upheaval. Not everything will work straight away. We first have to find ourselves as a team. But we already have a good foundation." Brenner wants to play attractive soccer - adapted to the quality of the team.

Small Uruguay, with a population of just 3.4 million, shows what is possible in soccer. "They have won the World Cup twice and the Copa America 15 times. It's a country that can make a lot out of very little." These virtues should also serve as a role model in Lustenau when comparing the budgets with the other top clubs.