Gregoritsch faces the next ÖFB milestone as new captain

Michael Gregoritsch will, in his 79th international match, lead the Austrian national football team as captain for the first time. The 32‑year‑old striker, who helped Austria reach its first World Cup participation in 28 years and had set up the legendary goal by Sasa Kalajdzic, now looks to the next milestone of his career.

First World Cup Qualification and Path to Captaincy

In the Nations League qualifying match against the Netherlands, Gregoritsch scored the decisive goal that qualified Austria for the World Cup again after 28 years. In the same match, he provided the already legendary goal by Sasa Kalajdzic against Algeria. These performances form the basis for his upcoming captaincy.

"It is an extremely special situation for me, I am very excited about it and will fill it with a lot of passion and pride," the 32‑year‑old forward explained on Wednesday on ORF. He emphasized that he and coach Ralf Rangnick had come to the decision immediately after a short conversation.

Nations League Deployment against Israel and Coach's Decision

Due to the absence of David Alaba, Marcel Sabitzer, the injured Konrad Laimer and Christoph Baumgartner, as well as after the retirement of Marko Arnautovic, Gregoritsch became the logical candidate for Rangnick. With 78 international caps, he leads the squad by a wide margin, followed by Stefan Posch (56) and Xaver Schlager (55).

"I have already tried to take responsibility before, so not much changes because of that," said the Augsburg striker, who is likely to get goosebumps on Thursday in the Upper Austria Arena when he leads the shirt for the first time. In his podcast "Ohne Filter", he emphasized that playing for the team means everything.

In the upcoming Nations League match against Israel, Gregoritsch will lead the team as captain for the first time. He explained that he will only find out on Thursday how to attach the captain's armband, and spoke of his motivation to react immediately after the disappointing World Cup performance.

Rangnick initially justified the decision by stating that Gregoritsch has been playing from the start, adding that he has the most appearances, the greatest experience, and the right personality. At the same time, he did not rule out that another player could take over the role in the remaining three matches.

The report by Bernhard Kastler and Paul Passler for ORF Sport, photographed by Armin Rauthner, rounds off the story, while the nation awaits Thursday with anticipation, when Gregoritsch will wear the captain's armband for the first time.