Alexander Manninger ( born 4 June 1977 ) is an austrian former professional football player who played as a goalkeeper. He played internationally for the Austria national team on 33 occasions, including at UEFA Euro 2008, and has represented football clubs in Italy, Germany, Austria and England .
Club career [edit ]
Salzburg, Steyr and Grazer AK [edit ]
Manninger started his career as a youth player for SV Austria Salzburg in 1993. He was promoted to the first-team team at the begin of the 1995–1996 season. After his introduction, and lone appearance of the season, he was sent on loan at SK Vorwärts Steyr, and played his first top-level game away against Grazer AK.
Reading: Alex Manninger
At the start of 1996–97 season he signed for Grazer AK, making his debut in place of the disqualify first-choice keeper, in the fall 1996 UEFA Cup second-round crippled against Internazionale Milano at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in Milan. He made twenty-four appearances in his lone temper with Grazer AK, before a high-profile transfer to Arsenal in the Premier League, where he was understudy to the experienced David Seaman .
Arsenal, Fiorentina and Espanyol [edit ]
During the 1997–98 season Seaman was injured and Manninger covered for him, enjoying a spell of six clean sheets in a row in the league, a joint club record. The death of these was against Manchester United at Old Trafford, where Arsenal won 1–0. In March 1998, he was named Premier League Player of the Month. [ 3 ] however, Manninger had to make direction for Seaman once the Englishman returned from injury. Despite only having played 7 games in the 1997–98 FA Premier League season ( 10 was then required to mechanically qualify for a winners ‘ decoration ), Manninger was granted special dispensation for a decoration as his contribution to Arsenal ‘s title win was considered to be significant enough. He besides made 5 appearances in Arsenal ‘s FA Cup race. The foreground for Manninger came in the quarter final play back at West Ham United. The crippled went to penalties and he saved Eyal Berkovic ‘s descry kick to help Arsenal through to the trailer truck finals. [ 4 ] He was on the workbench as Arsenal won the 1998 FA Cup Final to complete the double. Manninger continued to deputise for Seaman for the future three seasons. He made sixty-four appearances over four seasons for Arsenal. After the Gunners bought Richard Wright in 2001, [ 3 ] Manninger became number three at Arsenal, and spent the 2001–2002 season on lend at italian side ACF Fiorentina, where he made twenty-four appearances for the Tuscan club. [ 5 ] In July 2002 RCD Espanyol signed Manninger on a four-year softwood for £960,000. [ 6 ] however, he was released after just two months at Espanyol without making a first team appearance with Manninger claiming that the Barcelona-based cabaret had reneged on the contract. [ 7 ] [ 8 ]
turin, Bologna, Siena and Salzburg [edit ]
Manninger subsequently joined italian side Torino in Serie A in January 2003, [ 9 ] and remained with them until the conclusion of the season. At the start of 2003–04 he signed for Bologna FC where he spent two seasons largely used as an understudy. He had a light loanword spell with Brescia Calcio in July 2004, but was subsequently loaned to A.C. Siena for the 2004–05 Serie A season during which Manninger made nineteen appearances in the league for the Robur. In July 2005, FC Red Bull Salzburg re-signed Manninger from his rear club Bologna and during season 2005–06 he made sixteen appearances .
retort to Siena, Udinese and Juventus [edit ]
Manninger returned to Siena, in Serie A, this clock on a permanent footing for the 2006–07 season. He started the season as the cabaret ‘s first choice custodian but he was injured and replaced by Greek international Dimitrios Eleftheropoulos, who retained the beginning team goalkeeper ‘s jersey once Manninger was match again. He was first choice again at the beginning of 2007–08 season, ahead of Eleftheropolous, and Anssi Jaakkola. In a biennial enchantment at Siena, Manninger made about 70 appearances. In July 2008, as a non-contract player, he returned to Austria for another spell with FC Red Bull Salzburg, but before the season started he had signed for Udinese Calcio, where he replaced the Juventus-bound Antonio Chimenti. however, in a career of brief moves, he stayed with the north east italian club for merely two weeks before being signed by Juventus as stand-in for Gianluigi Buffon and Chimenti in August 2008. [ 10 ] A long-run injury to Buffon resulted in Manninger playing for the first xi from early October 2008 through to late February 2009. During his tenure with Juventus, Manninger made thirty-five appearances in all competitions, drawing praise in the media for his performances. Following an injury to Buffon during the 2010 World Cup, Juventus signed Marco Storari from Milan in the summer of 2010, and Manninger was demoted to the function of the club ‘s third–choice goalkeeper. [ 11 ] [ 12 ] [ 13 ] He was released at the end of the 2011–12 temper, following Juventus ‘s league style victory. [ 14 ]
Read more: Real Sociedad
Augsburg [edit ]
After four months without a club, Manninger signed for Bundesliga club FC Augsburg to cover for an injury to regular first-choice goalkeeper Simon Jentzsch. [ 14 ] He made his competitive debut for Augsburg in a DFB-Pokal home match against FC Bayern Munich on 18 December 2012. In 2014, he signed a one–year narrow extension. [ 15 ] and was released at the end of his contract in June 2016 after having made 38 appearances in all competitions for the german side during his time with the team, 36 of which came in the Bundesliga. [ 16 ] [ 17 ]
liverpool [edit ]
During July 2016, Manninger trained with Liverpool to maintain match seaworthiness and on 22 July 2016, he signed a short-run condense with the Merseyside clubhouse. [ 18 ] On 25 May 2017, he announced his retirement from football at the end of his abridge. [ 19 ]
International career [edit ]
Manninger made his debut for Austria in an August 1999 friendly match against Sweden and was member of the austrian Euro 2008 squad. He earned thirty-three caps and retired after ten years from external football for the Austria home football team on 5 August 2009 .
expressive style of play [edit ]
An experienced goalkeeper, [ 14 ] Manninger was known in particular for his shot-stopping, consistency, treatment, and positional feel as a goalkeeper, although he was less effective at coming out to collect crosses. [ 20 ] In his early career, he was considered to be a good back-up keeper, but was occasionally accused by pundits of lacking the ability to cope with pressure which was necessary for him to succeed in a starting role. [ 21 ] He besides stood out for his professionalism. [ 14 ]
personal life sentence [edit ]
Before playing football, Manninger was a carpenter. Since retiring from professional football, he has been focussing on his exercise in furniture and real estate. [ 22 ] One such real estate of the realm venture for Manninger includes meaning holdings in Meininger Hotels, a subsidiary company of Holidaybreak .
career statistics [edit ]
golf club [edit ]
- As of 24 July 2016[23][24][25]
International [edit ]
- As of 24 July 2016[23]
Austria national team
Year
Apps
Goals
1999
3
0
2000
2
0
2001
3
0
2002
6
0
2003
0
0
2004
4
0
2005
0
0
2006
1
0
2007
6
0
2008
7
0
2009
1
0
Total
33
0
Honours [edit ]
Arsenal
Juventus
Read more: S.S. Lazio
Individual