Alex Manninger, former Austrian football goalkeeper, tragically lost his life in a car accident involving the Salzburg local railway on Thursday. He was 48 years old.
Alexander Manninger kicked off his professional career at Austria Salzburg and, in 1997, made history as the first Austrian player to sign with Arsenal in the Premier League.
During his time with the Gunners, he featured in 39 matches and achieved the remarkable feat of securing both the league title and the FA Cup in the 1997/98 season.
The Austrian international then spent several years predominantly in Italy’s Serie A, amassing a total of 137 appearances. His most notable stints came at AC Siena and Juventus, where he served as the backup goalkeeper to Gianluigi Buffon, making five appearances in the Champions League.
Following his tenure in Turin, Manninger transitioned to the German Bundesliga with FC Augsburg before concluding his professional career at Liverpool.
Manninger represented Austria at the international level, earning 33 caps and being selected as the second-choice goalkeeper for their UEFA Euro 2008 squad.
Details of the accident remain unclear
The incident occurred at roughly 8:20am local time at an unguarded level crossing near Pabing in Salzburg, where Manninger’s vehicle was involved in a collision with a local train. Fortunately, around 25 passengers onboard and the train driver were not harmed.
Emergency services responded promptly; however, despite attempts at first aid, Manninger was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigation in progress
The precise circumstances surrounding the accident are currently under investigation. At the time of the collision, Manninger was the sole occupant of the vehicle.
Compiled by SportArena.au
Fanpage: SportArena.au.
LiveScore – Live Sports Results & Odds.
