Official announcement made regarding the next transfer – a milestone never experienced by Austria in St. Pauli.
Fresh Take on Austrian Flavor at FC St. Pauli
FC St. Pauli went all-Austria with their latest signings 🤔
Stepping up their game this season, German club FC St. Pauli welcomed a trio of Austrian talents. Simon Spari, the new goalkeeper, joins his Klagenfurt teammate, 23-year-old defender Jannik Robatsch. Stalwart David Nemeth, a fellow Austrian, has already been part of the squad for three years.
As the team prepares for their second consecutive Bundesliga season, these Austrian Additions promise a unique twist for St. Pauli 🇦🇹.
First-ever Austrian at St. Pauli: no snowy beginning 🌨
Before the Austrian invasion, only one Alpine athlete had ever dawned the St. Pauli jersey back in 2000. Goalkeeper Heinz Weber, on loan from FC Tirol Innsbruck, made a splash, but his stay was brief, lasting just one season. Weber's promotion with the team drew attention, as St. Pauli and Innsbruck couldn't agree on an extension, sending him back to Tirol.
Remember Michael Gregoritsch? A tough spell in Hamburg 😓
As the curtain fell on Weber's St. Pauli tenure, the club's second Austrian, striker Michael Gregoritsch, arrived in 2013. Despite an impressive Bundesliga career and 66 international appearances for Austria, his debut season at St. Pauli was a tough one. He managed only one goal in 15 second-tier games before the club sent him on loan to VfL Bochum for the 2014-2015 season.
Flashback to Gregoritsch's father, Werner, who led the Austrian U21 national team for over a decade, which includes coaching Spari in his youth international games ⚽️
2020: the year of the Austrians at St. Pauli 🎯
Fast forward to 2020, St. Pauli finally secured their third Austrian on a permanent contract: Guido Burgstaller. A Champions League veteran, Burgstaller led the team to the 2021 second division championship with 29 goals in 53 games. Despite a missed promotion, Burgstaller left the club after two seasons. He recently ended his career with Rapid Wien, scoring the capital club into the Europa League in his final game. This is a bitter pill for Spari to swallow, as Burgstaller had scored against Klagenfurt, Spari's old team, in November 2024 😓
Now Spari takes center stage at St. Pauli. Head coach Alexander Blessin has high praise for his new keeper: "Simon has good reflexes and is hard to beat in one-on-one situations. His passing is clean, allowing him to participate in the build-up play. Plus, he has a positive attitude and the desire to improve." 🏃♂️
The Austrian influence runs deep at St. Pauli. David Nemeth, the longest-serving Austrian player, has clocked in 39 league games for St. Pauli so far. The 24-year-old defender needs a trouble-free first half of the season to overtake Burgstaller's record of 53 appearances.
At the other end of the pitch stands Dejan Stojanovic, a goalkeeper boasting Macedonian roots, who was loaned to St. Pauli in the winter break of the 2020/21 season. Although St. Pauli didn't manage to score against him, Stojanovic returned to England after 19 appearances, warming the bench for SCR Altach, where he has faced off against Burgstaller three times 🤠.
In reference to the football teams, the German club FC St. Pauli has expanded its roster with Austrian footballers, making it the year of European leagues, specifically football, at the club. The Austrian influence is strong with players like Simon Spari, Jannik Robatsch, and David Nemeth playing there, with Nemeth currently holding the record for most league games played by an Austrian on the team.
