Returning player Mader:

“I can give something back to Austria”

(Bild: Austria Lustenau)

Only two talks were necessary - and Markus Mader's return to Lustenau was already fixed. The new and old Austria coach spoke to the "Krone" about his expectations and goals for the rest of the season and beyond - the man from Bregenz signed until the summer of 2026. 

How did it feel when you were back in the Austria dressing room on Monday?
It was very exciting to see how the team would react. You could immediately sense an incredible energy. I'm really very happy to be back here.

Markus Mader already worked with assistant coach Martin Schneider (right) during his first stint in Lustenau.

(Bild: Maurice Shourot)

It was just over a year ago that you had to leave the dressing room. How do you look back on it today?
It really hurt, it took me a long time to get over it. For me, it was as if my heart had been ripped out. I felt partly responsible for the relegation and had remorse about it for a long time. But I have come to terms with the past. Now I can give something back and I will try everything possible to get the club and the team back on the road to success.

Perhaps as early as Saturday in the last game before the winter break in Lafnitz.
The first thing is to get the energy back. The boys have to have fun and enjoy themselves. For me, only the current training week counts for now. I want us to travel to Lafnitz with a broad chest.

Mader got his old team back on track mentally, and that will be his big task again now.

(Bild: Maurice Shourot)

What is different the second time (as coach) than the first?
When I came to Lustenau in 2021, I was a newcomer to professional soccer. I also didn't feel like I was on an equal footing with the players. That's different now. Now I'm experienced and have earned respect. Some of them looked at me with big eyes when I came into the dressing room.

You have a contract beyond this season. Do you think that people expect you to win promotion when you return to the Reichshofstadion?
In sport, it's legitimate to aim for the highest goal. But to talk about promotion would be very presumptuous. We now have six months to get the team back to the top level. This is a task that I am tackling with the greatest passion.

Kolumne zum Interview

Menschlich und nahbar

It was like a class reunion when Markus Mader made his first official appointment with media representatives after his return to Austria. It was almost as if the old, new coach of Lustenau had never been away. What stood out was the positive energy radiated by the 56-year-old, who is bursting with youthful vigor. And the warmth and approachability that simply characterizes a guy like "Mäde" has not been lost either. Mader remained loyal to soccer even when he was not coaching and was present at many of Austria's home games in the stadium. His wounds were deep, the sporting failure and job loss ate deep into the soul of the Dornbirn native.

Nevertheless, Mader has never lost sight of the positive, even though the prospects as an unemployed coach in soccer are anything but rosy. "I'm not the kind of person who hopes that another coach will be sacked just so that I might get his job," he said, making an honest statement in this regard.

This straightforwardness and down-to-earth attitude also quickly convinced sporting director Mirko Papaleo to give the coach the opportunity to make a comeback at Austria. "He knows the league, the club and the environment. And he can also bring back the euphoria." Something that Austria desperately needs after the dismal months.