Austrian in luck

“Sami” is now floating on cloud nine twice over

Samuel has been married to his Sila since 2016 (left). The 32-year-old has been on top form of late.(Bild: GEPA)

Austrian goalkeeper Samuel Sahin-Radlinger is on cloud nine twice over: He is enjoying family life and the Violets' sporting heights. The start was not easy, he says.

A spring clean in winter. After all, the children's room had to be spruced up again. That was a real challenge, the LEGO bricks felt like they were everywhere," laughed Austria goalkeeper Samuel Sahin-Radlinger.

"Not pleasant at all"
He is not only challenged between the posts, but can enjoy his current family life with his wife Sila, who became famous as an actress in Germany through her leading role in the TV series "Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten", and their sons Elija (6) and Noah (5) to the full. Last year was tough for the family, Samuel played for Almere (Hol), while Sila and her children lived in Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne because of her job. "That wasn't pleasant for anyone. Every goodbye was hard."

A huge relief! I couldn't be happier.

Samuel Sahin-Radlinger über sein Familienleben

The past! Sila, who recently shot a short film, has now moved in with her sweetheart. The family is finally living together under one roof (just outside Vienna). "It's a huge relief, I couldn't be happier. Now we can enjoy a normal everyday life. We haven't really been able to explore Vienna yet, but we'll certainly make the most of it during the winter break," enthuses the goalkeeper.

Sahin-Radlinger is a permanent fixture for coach Helm.(Bild: APA/GERT EGGENBERGER / APA / picturedesk.com)

"No unhappy players in the team"
Things have also been going well in sporting terms for weeks, with Sahin-Radlinger keeping a clean sheet three times in the last five league games. In particular, the 32-year-old shone with three top saves in the last 1:0 win in Wolfsberg. The start was anything but easy, and not just for "Sami", who came to Favoriten from Almere in the summer. Christian Früchtl, who moved to Lecce in Serie A for a transfer fee of around one million euros, left big shoes to fill in the box. This was followed by the bitter exit in the European Cup qualifiers and the defeat in the league opener at BW Linz. "That wasn't easy to take. We had a lot of new signings and weren't well-rehearsed. It took time to develop the confidence and mentality. The character in the team is outstanding, we don't have any nasties and we also do a lot of activities off the pitch such as bowling, go-karting and padel tennis."

The next hurdle for the third-placed team is Hartberg on November 24. "We are pleased with the latest results, they give us a lot of strength"