The comeback plan

Restaurateur Xaver Schlager is on the right track

Xaver Schlager(Bild: GEPA pictures)

He is one of the big absentees in the current national team: after suffering a torn cruciate ligament in his left knee in the match against Hoffenheim on May 3, Xaver Schlager is working determinedly on his comeback. 

Just 74 days after his mishap, the midfield engine returned to training at his club Leipzig in July with individual sessions, and now the 27-year-old is about to resume ball training.

Neither Schlager nor his club are giving away a possible comeback date: "I'm on the right track. Everything is going according to plan. I think I'll be back soon," explained the 43-time team player, adding: "There's a goal in my head, but not everyone needs to know that. It can change from one day to the next, so I don't want to say anything about it."

"It's part of our tradition"
Away from the pitch, Schlager took his first steps as a restaurateur: in his home town of Sankt Valentin, 30 kilometers from Linz, he bought an inn, the 150-year-old "Dorfrichter": "I come from the countryside. We have a tradition of meeting once a week at the regulars' table, drinking two beers and talking about the week. Unfortunately, more and more of our pubs have closed." The "Dorfrichter" is currently being completely renovated and is due to open in the first half of 2025.