A turning point for Rapid Vienna’s coach: Why Ercan Kara keeps finding new fans

Markus Katzer is a fan of Claudy Mbuyi.

The sporting director of Rapid Vienna still believes that last season would have been very different, namely much more successful, had the center forward not suffered a serious meniscus injury in January.

The Frenchman is now close to a comeback.

Johannes Hoff Thorup is a fan of Tonni Adamsen.

The coach likes strikers who, like the 31-year-old, are heavily involved in the attack and convinced his fellow Dane to choose Hütteldorf as his first club abroad.

Even though Adamsen had more lucrative offers.

A man for important goals

And Ercan Kara? The Viennese player apparently always manages to win over new fans with his unique style.

Much like Guido Burgstaller before him, the 30-year-old works tirelessly. The former second-division striker never complains about being on the bench, only to then score crucial goals (often as a substitute) and celebrate with particular emotion.

His 90-meter sprint to the West Stand after scoring the decisive goal in the 2025 playoff against LASK remains a vivid memory.

After his first European hat trick in the 6-2 victory against Santa Coloma, Kara said: “I love playing here. Weststadion, floodlights, a magical European night, a hat trick from Erci – fantastic. I think the fans love it too.”

Special applause from the coach

Hoff Thorup has also become a fan of the seven-time international. The coach was pleased with Kara’s three goals in the second qualifying round for the Conference League, but he gave him special applause for Kara when he once again covered extra ground and made a tackling challenge for his team.

“I’m thrilled with how Erci is working for the team. That’s also possible because he came back from vacation completely different.”

Like Yusuf Demir and Marco Tilio, the 6-foot-4 giant also worked extra on his fitness.

Kara confirms: “I tried to adapt my playing style to the coach’s wishes. That’s working really well now.”

Kara, who is popular within the team, mentions another improvement: “We’ve grown much closer. I see the guys more often than my family. I wanted to contribute to us playing as a real team.”

In tandem with Adamsen?

Of course, Kara would also like to start on Sunday against Altach.

Perhaps Hoff Thorup will even pull Adamsen, who is normally planned as the number one striker, back a bit for that: “That combination could also be a weapon for us.”