Ivanschitz sets new mark
Tuesday, December 2, 2003
Article summary
SK Rapid Wien's 20-year-old midfield player Andreas Ivanschitz is the new Austrian Footballer of the Year.
Article body
'Enormous reward'
The 20-year-old received 32 votes in a poll of Bundesliga coaches conducted by the Austrian Press Agency to claim the coveted crown from Grazer AK striker Roland Kollmann (17 votes) and Rapid team-mate Steffen Hofmann (11). "The fact I have won this is an enormous reward for me - it makes me very proud," said Ivanschitz, who succeeds Vladimir Janocko of FK Austria Wien.
Impressive rise
Ivanschitz has enjoyed an impressive rise since joining Rapid's youth academy as a 14-year-old in 1998, breaking into the first team three years ago. He is also an Austrian international and in October became his country's youngest captain when he took the armband from Thomas Flögel in a 3-2 home defeat by the Czech Republic.
