Bazina voted Austria's No1
Thursday, December 1, 2005
Article summary
Grazer AK midfielder Mario Bazina has been voted the Player of the Year in Austria, ahead of the 2004 winner Steffen Hofmann and René Aufhauser.
Article body
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."