Transfer sensation

It’s getting serious: Hinteregger about to make his professional comeback!

Will ÖFB legend Martin Hinteregger soon be back at Klagenfurt's Wörthersee Stadium?

(Bild: Gepa (2))

Unbelievable, but true! According to exclusive information from "Krone", former Austrian national team defender Martin Hinteregger (32) is about to return to professional soccer at Bundesliga club Austria Klagenfurt. Contract negotiations with the Carinthians are already underway and an agreement could be reached soon! 

Sounds unbelievable - but could actually come true! Martin Hinteregger is on the verge of a comeback as a professional footballer. As the "Krone" learned directly from his home in Sirnitz, the former ÖFB star has been in intensive talks with the Violets for many days - but now things are getting really serious, negotiations are already at an advanced stage!

Former ÖFB star Martin Hinteregger (left) with Claudio Trevisan, head of sports at the "Kärntner Krone".

(Bild: Florian Pessentheiner)

However, the Klagenfurt management team around sporting director Günther Gorenzel cannot react directly to the tense personnel situation - in defense, Niklas Szerencsi and Kosmas Gkezos (MRI appointment today) are two regular players out, and coach Peter Pacult only has two nominal central defenders at his disposal in Thorsten Mahrer and Jannik Robatsch. This is because "Hinti", who works as a player-coach at Carinthian lower-league club Sirnitz, is unlikely to play for Waidmannsdorf until the start of the winter transfer window on 1 January 2025 at the earliest!

Hinteregger blocked
Hinteregger himself completely refused to answer the Krone's telephone inquiry. Pacult only said cryptically: "People talk a lot. I'm not saying that Mick Schumacher will drive for Ferrari now. . ."

"I'm not ruling anything out"
The former top defender had actually already ended his professional career - he officially retired as a player from Eintracht Frankfurt in June 2022. And he did so as a reigning Europa League winner, 67-time ÖFB team player, two-time European Championship participant and three-time Austrian champion with RB Salzburg. "I'm not ruling anything out," said "Hinti" at the beginning of the year when asked about a possible comeback. Now the time might be right!

Martin Hinteregger won the Europa League in 2022 in Eintracht Frankfurt kit - after which he ended his active professional career at the age of 29

(Bild: GEPA)

Penalty for shoving already served
"Hinti" recently caused a stir when he pushed a fan. He was initially suspended by the Carinthian Football Association's punishment committee for this - this decision was then overturned by the protest senate. The STRAFA recently met again - and officially suspended "Hinti" for four matches. However, the coach has already served these four matches during his suspension - which means that the ex-professional can pursue his player-coach activities at lower-league club Sirnitz as normal.

STRAFA boss Klaus Haslinglehner explains: "Mr. Hinteregger has taken full responsibility for what happened in a letter to the Carinthian Football Association." This is also said to have been the decisive factor in the sentence that has now been imposed. However, because "Hinti" was reported by the fan in question, the ex-professional is facing criminal proceedings.

Desolates Zweikampfverhalten

Das 0:7 war eine historische Klatsche

The plan is for Hinteregger's defense to be more stable from the new year onwards. Because November 23, 2024 will go down as the darkest day in the new club's history at Austria Klagenfurt. The Violets' 7-0 defeat at Sturm Graz was their highest ever Bundesliga defeat in the 21st century.

However, they have actually conceded more goals in the top flight once before: Namely on August 5, 1986 - back then it was a 1:8 away against Rapid at the Hanappi Stadium. Peter Hrstic even scored a treble. Since the "refoundation", however, Austria Klagenfurt has already conceded a 7-0 defeat twice across all competitions:

• Once on February 28, 2018: as a regional league team in the Cup quarter-finals at RB Salzburg under coach Frankie Polanz - and with current winger Flo Jaritz on the pitch, 0:7 (0:4).
• And in the regional league on March 14, 2014, there was also a 0:7 (0:4) at home against LASK under coach Alex Suppantschitsch.

Pacult comparison with Brazil
Incidentally, the defeat in Graz-Liebenau was also Peter Pacult's biggest ever as coach. Previously, there had been two 6-0 defeats: With Klagenfurt at home against Salzburg (April 10, 2022) and with 1860 Munich at Hertha Berlin (March 8, 2003). This time, however, it was the heaviest of beatings - due to desolate tackling. And despite 49 percent possession for the champions! "We will draw our conclusions, we don't need to dramatize anything - we have to find solutions before Sunday against Tirol," emphasized Pacult, who said: "I don't want to sugarcoat anything - but Brazil also lost 1:7 to Germany in 2014!"

Bitter: Striker David Toshevski is also in danger of missing out - suspected concussion!