A Brutal Diagnosis

Baumgartner: It’s even worse than expected!

Christoph Baumgartner faces a long layoff.(Bild: Mario Urbantschitsch)

Christoph Baumgartner’s injury is apparently much more serious than initially thought. The Austrian national team player will not only miss the World Cup in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, but is also expected to be sidelined for several more months at RB Leipzig.

Officially, the injury was described merely as a thigh muscle strain. However, as the “Kurier” now reports, the 26-year-old’s injury is said to be significantly more serious than initially thought. According to the report, the attacking player has torn the rectus femoris tendon on the front of his thigh near the hip joint. This is an injury that occurs very rarely in soccer players. This would also explain why Baumgartner underwent surgery performed by the renowned specialist Dr. Lasse Lempainen in Turku, Finland. Dr. Lempainen has previously worked with top clubs such as FC Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, AC Milan, and Juventus Turin.

 faces a five-month layoffThe ÖFB star is facing alayoffof aroundfive months. This means he will miss not only the World Cup but likely also the start of the season with RB Leipzig. In addition, the attacking player would also have to sit out the ÖFB team’s Nations League matches in September. He would also miss Leipzig’s return to the UEFA Champions League.

The Lower Austrian has developed into an absolute key player for Leipzig in recent years and is also one of the most important players on the national team.

“It hurts us a lot”
The void left by the 26-year-old is correspondingly large. “This hurts us a lot; we’ll miss him throughout the entire World Cup. You can’t replace him one-to-one, but we have to try to make up for his absence as a group,” said Laimer at a press conference in Santa Barbara.

As Laimer revealed, “Baumi” wants to accompany his teammates to the U.S. as a spectator and supporter and plans to join the team at a later date.