RB Leipzig’s Marcel Sabitzer has been named Austrian Footballer of the Year 2017, breaking David Alaba’s six year winning streak. Alaba, who won the crown six times in a row between 2011 and 2016, finished 8th in the poll, as voted for by the 10 coaches of the Austrian Bundesliga.
The coaches of Sturm Graz (Franco Foda, also the new Austrian football national team manager from 2018), Austria Vienna (Thorsten Fink), SCR Altach (Klaus Schmidt), Wolfsberger AC (Heimo Pfeifenberger), had him as their first choice, while Rapid Vienna manager Goran Djuricin ranked him second.
Schalke’s Guido Burgstaller finished second, while Andreas Ulmer, Stefan Schwab and Valon Berisha tied for third.
List of Austrian soccer players of the year (from 2007)
2007- Ivica Vastic
2008- Marc Janko
2009- Steffen Hoffmann
2010- Zlatko Junuzovic
2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016- David Alaba
2017- Marcel Sabitzer
