Stranzl wants Austria to soar

Martin Stranzl, Austria's defensive stalwart, is looking forward to UEFA EURO 2008™ in his homeland and is proud to be part of Josef Hickersberger's team. With the eagle on their shirts, he hopes this Austria side can reach new heights.

'Great honour'
"Playing for your country is always a great honour," said the 26-year-old, who has become a key player for an Austria team still finding its feet under coach Hickersberger. "We are a young side, but some of us already possess of a lot of international experience. It's our duty to pass it on to the youngsters," added Stranzl, who left hometown club SV Güssing at the age of 17 to join TSV München 1860.

'Calming influence'
Stranzl's greater know-how came to the fore against Switzerland on 11 October, when Hickersberger's side gave a great performance in front of a sell-out crowd in Innsbruck. The centre-back, who has 34 caps, played a crucial role in their 2-1 victory despite suffering from a virus: "It is great to play in a packed stadium. That definitely gives you an extra edge." Hickersberger has described Stranzl as a "defensive rock" and the team's "calming influence". The 1.90m giant is particularly strong in the tackle, but when not stopping world-class strikers, he likes to get forward too. Stranzl "always tries to play fair", says Hickersberger.

Pride in the shirt
The Burgenland-born player, who is now based in Russia with UEFA Champions League participants FC Spartak Moskva, is "proud to wear the shirt with the eagle on it". So much so that when a knee injury forced him to sit out Austria's first game of 2006, Stranzl nonetheless flew back to Vienna to cheer the side on. He is part of a new generation of Austrian footballers – players who are confident in their ability and determined to build successful careers, even if that means collecting air miles.

Sell-out crowds
The longer-term goal for the former 1860 München and VfB Stuttgart centre-back, who played 129 matches in eight years in the German Bundesliga, is the EURO on home soil. He knows that the pressure on him and the team will be considerable. "The fans' expectations are very high, like at any major tournament," he said. "We saw how most of the stadiums were sold out at the FIFA World Cup in Germany, and we are expecting similar at the EURO."

'Take a chance'
Stranzl is not afraid of a challenge though. Last February, Stuttgart tried to block his transfer to Spartak but the Austrian "was looking for a new challenge - Moscow and the people there are simply sensational". "You have to develop and that means taking chances," he insisted. Stranzl did just that by going to Moscow in 2006, and if he and his team-mates can step up another level in Vienna in 2008, they may yet do Austria proud.