Attack Leaves Austrian Striker Guido Burgstaller with Fractured Skull

Rapid Vienna, the club of Austrian international Guido Burgstaller, has announced that the striker suffered a fractured skull following an assault in the center of Austria’s capital city. Burgstaller has represented Austria 26 times. The club stated that the 35-year-old is projected to be unavailable for several months after sustaining a “serious head injury” during the weekend. According to Rapid, the former Cardiff City forward was attacked by an “unknown man” and fractured his skull when he fell after receiving a “brutal blow.” Burgstaller, aged 35, who has 26 caps for Austria, was assessed at the location of the incident before being transported to a hospital, where he is anticipated to stay for the next few days. In a statement, Rapid conveyed that they “trust in the responsible authorities that the as-yet-unknown perpetrator will be brought to justice quickly.” Burgstaller initially joined Cardiff from Rapid in 2014, marking Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s second signing for the Welsh club. He made only three appearances for the Bluebirds before moving to the German club Nurnberg. Before rejoining Rapid in 2022, Burgstaller also played in Germany for Schalke and St Pauli. In 2023, he was among three Austria players excluded by manager Ralf Rangnick after they were recorded singing homophobic chants following a 3-0 win against city rivals Austria Vienna.