Rising Star of the Lottery

Mayer: “I see this award as an incentive and motivation!”

Young star Jonas Mayer.(Bild: Pressefoto Scharinger/Daniel Scharinger)

Two years ago, the title went to Tobias Lawal; last year, Marco Sulzner was voted Lottery Young Star of the Year—and at the 59th “Krone” Soccer Awards, a talent playing for an Upper Austrian club had reason to celebrate: Jonas Mayer of SV Ried triumphed over Nikolaus Wurmbrand (Rapid) and Sanel Saljic (Austria Vienna).

“I’ve been in Ried for many years, I’ve seen it all, and I’ve even been in the stadium as a spectator!” Although Jonas Mayer is originally from Zell am See, where he also discovered and fell in love with his second passion, the mountains, he now has a very strong connection to SV Ried. Especially since Mayer went through the entire academy, including the boarding school (where, by the way, he was one of the most well-behaved talents).

Played his way into the fans’ hearts
On August 6, 2021, he made his debut for the reserves in the Regionalliga Mitte, followed just under a year later by his Bundesliga debut against Austria Vienna. The 21-year-old is now an indispensable starter for the Innviertler, having appeared in 26 matches, contributed two assists, and played his way into the hearts of the fans. The reward: Mayer was voted Lottery Young Star of the Year at the 59th “Krone” Football Awards.

Lotterien Young Star of the Year

1. Jonas Mayer (Ried) 10,860
2. Nikolaus Wurmbrand (Rapid) 3,797
3. Sanel Saljic (Austria Vienna) 2,597
4. Lukas Jungwirth (LASK) 1,967
5. Ramiz Harakate (GAK) 1,462
6. Kerim Alajbegovic (RB Salzburg) 583
7. Jacob Peter Hödl (Sturm Graz) 515
8. Samson Baidoo (Lens) 259
9. Angelo Gattermayer (Wolfsberg) 253
10. Elias Havel (Hartberg) 239
11. Simon Seidl (BW Linz) 85
12. Moritz Wels (WSG Tirol) 70
13. Filip Milojevic (Altach) 8 

Goal: Top 5 League
With a lead of over 7,000 votes over Rapid’s Wurmbrand, it was a true landslide victory. “For me, it’s a great honor and a huge privilege that so many people voted for me. But I see it as an incentive and motivation to keep going,” said Mayer, who is praised by everyone for his polite manner and down-to-earth nature. “My parents set that example for me and passed it on to me; that’s how I grew up,” said Mayer. He still has big goals, however, dreaming of one of the top-5 leagues. “I want to achieve as much as possible!”