Rapid: From Krankl’s jersey to negotiating Wurmbrand’s future

Hans Krankl presents the retro jersey from 1984. Sports director Katzer is negotiating a contract extension with Nikolaus Wurmbrand for Rapid’s future.

On Sunday, the week-long sold-out home derby a season highlight on Rapid. From now on, a Retrotrikot referred to a historic high point: 40 years – at that time the European Cup only started in mid-September – the road to the Cup Winners’ Cup Final 1985.

The newly released jersey from back then presents Hans KranklAfter reconciling with his beloved club, the goal scorer accepted the invitation to a photo shoot and leafed through the relevant KURIER issue.

“Sensational victory for Rapid in the European Cup!” was the headline on page 1 after the legendary 1-0 in Manchester in the replay against Celtic in December 1984. Krankl saw the Solo by Peter Pacult to advance in the round of 16 as an injured companion of his team on the sidelines.

When you purchase the jersey (price € 64.95), a storage box and a postcard are included.

However, the green and white classic will no longer be seen in competitive matches.

Stormy debut

Quite different from Nicholas Wurmbrand who before his Derby debut stands.

The 18-year-old impressed with his debut in the 1:1 draw with a goal in Wolfsberg, but did not surprise anyone internally. The Viennese was selected by the then youth scout Nino Rauch (now promoted to chief scout) was discovered at NAC eight years ago and quickly rose through the ranks in the regular evaluations of top talents.

In the staff of youth boss Willi Schuldes, the sprinter was given top marks – similar to the now Genk legionnaire Sattlberger, but different from team defender Querfeld, who fought his way up step by step.

The fact that Wurmbrand only made his debut for the ÖFB U-19s on September 7th against Belgium (3-0) was due to the cruciate ligament tear he suffered two years ago. It took a year before the teenager was able to get going again.

Since then, consultants – including international players – have been lining up. But Wurmbrand has no manager. His father, a successful lawyer, wants to continue to handle the tasks himself – such as the negotiations for an early contract extension beyond 2026, which began in the spring.

Katzer negotiates with Wurmbrand’s father

After the first meetings with the experienced lawyer, sports director Markus Katzer is convinced that there will be an extension with the Wurmbrand family in the end: “Both sides know what they have in each other – the next meeting will follow soon.”