"Krone" commentary

“We’re ready for an absolutely brilliant EURO”

Martin Hinteregger has high hopes for Austria in Germany.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV)

Martin Hinteregger has played for Austria twice at a EURO, coming up against Portugal's superstar Cristiano Ronaldo in France in 2016 and Italy's goalscorer Ciro Immobile five years later. In his column, the Carinthian recalls unforgettable moments, a special shirt swap and dares to make a prediction for the tournament starting on Friday.

When I look back on my EUROs, Cristiano Ronaldo comes to mind. Portugal's superstar was my opponent in the Prinzenparkstadion at my first EURO 2016, he surprised me as a guy. While Cristiano is often portrayed as an egotist in the media, he was a team player during those 90 minutes, motivating his teammates and pushing them forward.

The Portuguese still fascinates the soccer world today. I see it in my daily training sessions with the children and the question I am asked most often: "Have you ever played against Cristiano?" I realized back then at the Princes' Park how accepted he was in the team, and I think that's still true today. My luck was that Ronaldo missed the penalty I was at fault for, my bad luck was that I was late to swap shirts with him. Stefan Ilsanker, who had to undergo a doping test together with CR7, was quicker.

Martin Hinteregger kept Cristiano Ronaldo at bay in 2016

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

But five years later, when I was up against Ciro Immobile, a great instinctive footballer, in the round of 16 against Italy, I secured the shirt of my idol - Giorgio Chiellini! I learned a lot from the defender, his control of the penalty area was magnificent.

First or second place would be ideal
I won't be there live in Germany, but I'll be cheering on the Red-White-Red on TV. I've looked at the constellation in the individual groups - if Austria wants to go far, which I have every confidence in, it would be important to finish first or second in the group. Then anything would be possible from the round of 16 onwards.

Ciro Immobile was one of "Hinti's" opponents at EURO 2021.

(Bild: AFP)

We need more width
We've got everything we need to be able to perform at this EURO anyway. Everyone in the team has absorbed Ralf Rangnick's idea 100 percent. Whether it's defending together or winning the ball in combination - Ralf has long since found the players he needs for his system, and the width of the squad will also be important in Germany. In the penultimate test against Serbia, I had the feeling that no more than 14 players could hold their own at this top level. But some of them still have room for improvement. I can well understand why Kevin Stöger is not included: He doesn't fit into the system because he lacks speed!

We didn't have good preparation in 2016 and we still lacked the necessary experience in 2021 - factors that are now gone. We're ready for a brilliant EURO!