ÖFB debutant Wiegele: The goalkeeper with the rugby shoe

If Florian Wiegele these days in Marbella National team training camp with Alexander Schlager and Patrick Pentz, then these are not conversations on equal terms.

The 24-year-old is 2.05 meters tall and is therefore more than 20 centimeters taller than numbers one and two on the ÖFB team.

Gardemaß

Florian Wiegele has the profile of an internationally sought-after goalkeeper. That’s why it’s not entirely surprising that the Styrian is now ahead of the World Cup Ralf Rangnick was called in so that he could get an accurate picture of him.

Wiegele is now the one biggest player in the national teamwhich has also gained air superiority with the return of Sasa Kalajdzic. Wiegele towers over the striker by five centimeters. The smallest team player, Romano Schmid (1.68), is 37 centimeters.

The physique

But it’s not just the size that makes Florian Wiegele interesting. In any case, Ralf Rangnick has the third goalie spot next to Schlager and Pentz for the World Cup in the USA, as he himself emphasized last week.

Belgium legionnaire Tobias Lawal (KRC Genk) should currently have good chances for this. But in order to heat up the competition in the team again, the team boss has now called up a fourth keeper, Florian Wiegele. “Due to his physique, Wiegele has requirements that no one else in our team has,” said the team boss.

Praise from Semlic

Someone who has known Wiegele for much longer than Rangnick is WSG Tirol coach Philipp Semlic. The Styrian once coached his compatriot in the Sturm Graz academy. “He is a very intelligent boy, comes from a good family and graduated from high school with a very good grade point average,” remembers Semlic.

Springboard Leoben

It doesn’t surprise him that Wiegele is now, at the age of 24, suddenly joining the national team after a few months as number one at Viktoria Pilsen. “He flew a little under the radar in the academy, but he always had great potential.”

Because of his lankyness, says Semlic, Wiegele “sometimes seemed a bit clumsy. But he’s also really good at playing along with his foot and ultimately brings something extraordinary to the table.”

At Sturm, Wiegele didn’t make it to the professionals. After detours and stints in the state league with the Lebring and Gleisdorf clubs, he then moved on to professional football with DSV Leoben in the 2nd league. In 2024 he was hired by his current club, Victoria Pilsendiscovered and committed.

The game practice

In order to give the rough diamond some match practice, Wiegele was sent to the Czech Republic for six months last year NO awarded. There he played a major role in staying in the league with strong performances in the spring.

Back in Pilsen last summer, Wiegele had to line up just behind number one, Martin Jedlicka. That he is the 28-year-old, who is in the Czech league Last season, not many people expected that he would be the best goalkeeper in the team.

In November, Wiegele was named number one, after which Jedlicka left the club in the winter.

Strong in the European Cup

As every year, Pilsen is at the top of the league and is currently third behind Slavia and Sparta Prague. Wiegele also cut a good figure in the Europa League in six games until the elimination against Panathinaikos in February.

He was always from National team goalie coach Michael Gspurning observed, who ultimately made a recommendation to Ralf Rangnick.

The future

In any case, the ÖFB has not only had Wiegele in its sights recently, as Günter Kreissl, the head of the goalkeeper trainer, says. “We always try to analyze all goalkeepers who are eligible for the national team in a timely manner.”

Wiegele got involved with the GAK last year comprehensive picture made. For his size, the team newcomer has “a very good level of dynamism and mobility,” says Kreissl, emphasizing his “very calm charisma.”

The fact is: Several experts believe Wiegele will also have a breakthrough in the national team. But he will not follow in the footsteps of others. This is simply not possible. Wiegele has shoe size 51 and has had to play with rugby shoes of a similar design for years because there are no football boots that fit him.

But no matter what shoes you wear: big career moves are possible at any time.