Austrian representative Guido Burgstaller suffered a skull fracture as a result of a “brutal” attack that took place in the center of Vienna.
On Monday, Rapid Vienna announced that the former Cardiff City striker had been attacked in front of witnesses over the weekend and was expected to spend the next few days in hospital.
Burgstaller was said to have been hit with a “brutal punch” by an unidentified assailant, causing him to collapse. He suffered serious head injuries, including a fracture, and will be sidelined for several months.
Guido Burgstaller in hospital after the attack in Vienna
Rapid adds that the incident took place in front of witnesses and that the club “trusts that the responsible authorities will soon bring the as yet unidentified perpetrator to justice.”
Report by the Austrian outlet Kurier that police indicated that Burgstaller was involved in an argument on Saturday around 6 a.m. during which he was punched and suffered a fracture to the back of his skull. The perpetrator then fled the scene.
Rapid added in a club statement: “We ask you to respect the privacy of Guido Burgstaller and his family. If there is any news in the next few days, SK Rapid will communicate it after consultation with its medical department and Guido Burgstaller.
“SK Rapid will of course fully support Guido Burgstaller on his path to a full and hopefully speedy recovery.”
The 35-year-old centre-forward represented FC Karnten, Winer Neustadt and Rapid before joining Cardiff in 2014.
Burgstaller played three games for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side before terminating his contract by mutual consent in January the following year and joining German second-division side Nurnberg a few days later.
His impressive goalscoring form for Nuremberg saw him move to Schalke two years later, where he finished as the team’s top scorer twice and helped the club finish second in the Bundesliga in the 2017/18 season.
Burgstaller left Schalke for St Pauli in 2020, before returning to Rapid two years later. He was one of three competitors Ralf Rangnick was kicked out of the national team for homophobic chanting after the February Vienna derby.
