Hofmann second
The 30-year-old Croatian was the overwhelming winner of the prize decided by coaches from Austria's top-flight clubs. Second was SK Rapid Wien's Steffen Hofmann, who was last year's choice, while SV Austria Salzburg's René Aufhauser came third. "It is a big surprise for me and I am really honoured," said Bazina. "I had a superb season but I didn't think I would win this award."

'Something special'
Bazina has had a great start to the 2005/06 campaign, topping the scorers' chart with ten goals. He won a similar accolade in his homeland in 1998/99, but said it meant a lot to be acclaimed in Austria. "It is great to get this title in my second country. It is definitely something special for me."