Austria striker Guido Burgstaller suffered a fractured skull when he was attacked in the center of the country’s capital, his club Rapid Vienna has said.
Rapid said the 35-year-old is expected to be out for several months after suffering a “serious head injury” at the weekend.
They say the former Cardiff City forward was attacked by an “unknown person” and suffered a fractured skull when he fell following a “brutal blow”.
The 35-year-old player, capped 26 times by Austria, was examined at the scene before being taken to hospital, where he will stay for the next few days.
In its statement, Rapid said “they believe in the relevant authorities that the person who has not yet been identified will be brought to justice quickly”.
Burgstaller joined Cardiff from Rapid in 2014, becoming the second player signed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the Welsh club.
He played just three games for the Bluebirds before joining German club Nurnberg.
Burgstaller also played for Germany’s Schalke and St Pauli before returning to Rapid in 2022.
He was one of three Austrian players dropped by manager Ralf Rangnick in 2023 after he was filmed singing homophobic chants following a 3-0 win over Austrian city rivals Vienna.
