"I know the score"

Baumgartner climbs up the ÖFB hierarchy!

Christoph Baumgartner

(Bild: APA/KEYSTONE/GIAN EHRENZELLER)

Christoph Baumgartner is probably the most influential figure in the Austrian national soccer team this year. World record goal against Slovakia, goals in five consecutive international matches - the Leipzig professional was the trump card in the ÖFB offense in the first months of 2024. Baumgartner scored against Poland at the European Championships, but also missed top chances against France and Turkey. This did nothing to dampen his popularity among national team supporters.

Above all, the missed header opportunity in the round of 16 against the Turks (1:2) still weighs heavily on the Lower Austrian's mind. The ÖFB fans offered consolation. "It was really overwhelming. I didn't read every comment or every message on social media, but the basic tenor was so positive, it was incredible," said Baumgartner.

"... because it definitely wasn't easy!"
The 25-year-old also received a lot of encouragement in personal conversations. "At the end it was always: 'Thank you so much for the great time. That also helped me to process the whole thing, because it definitely wasn't easy."

Christoph Baumgartner

(Bild: AFP/APA/JOHN MACDOUGALL)

While David Alaba has been out of action since last December and Marko Arnautovic last scored a national team goal from play in September 2023, Baumgartner's status in the selection has risen. "I know what my role is. I realize that when I see children's eyes, how big they get when they see me."

"Football is very fast-moving!"
His standing fills him with a certain pride, says Baumgartner. "It's something special, simply the result of hard work and, I believe, many good games in the national team. But at the end of the day, it's always about confirming all that. Soccer is very fast-moving."

Like Xaver Schlager, Kevin Danso, Patrick Pentz, Alexander Schlager, Marco Friedl, Philipp Lienhart, Stefan Posch and Sasa Kalajdzic, Baumgartner took part in the 2019 U21 European Championship. Maximilian Wöber was injured at the time and Konrad Laimer was absent due to Leipzig not granting him clearance. This generation is now preparing to become the absolute leaders of the senior team.

Christoph Baumgartner, Marcel Sabitzer, Marko Arnautovic, Kevin Danso

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

"The mix is absolutely top at the moment!"
For the time being, Alaba (32), Arnautovic (35) and Marcel Sabitzer (30) are still the loudest mouthpieces. "We're very happy that we still have these guys with us, who have already experienced a lot, because that helps the younger players a lot. You need several players who have responsibility, have an opinion and stand by that opinion. I think we're currently at a great stage, the mix is absolutely top at the moment," explained Baumgartner. "But of course we also want to take responsibility. The U21 generation of 2019 is now reaching the best age of footballers, that's already a certain core."

Baumgartner could become the figurehead of this generation and break records in the process. For the Germany legionnaire, who has 44 caps and 16 goals ahead of the clash with Kazakhstan on Thursday (20:45), the records set by Arnautovic and Toni Polster for national team appearances and goals do not appear to be out of reach.

Christoph Baumgartner

(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

"But there's still a lot of water flowing down the Danube until then!"
Baumgartner commented: "Records aren't that important to me, it's not something that's on my radar right now. The most important thing is to help the team with good performances, and to do that again and again. Nobody cares what happened in the last 15 games, it's always about the 15 to come." Postscript: "If I'm 35 and have taken over from Toni or Marko, that's something cool that would make me happy. But until then, there's still a lot of water flowing down the Danube."