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Alex Manninger

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Alex Manninger
Manninger (far left) playing for Juventus in 2010
Personal information
Full name Alexander Manninger
Date of birth (1977-06-04) 4 June 1977 (age 47)
Place of birth Salzburg, Austria
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 FC Augsburg
Number 1
Youth career
1984–1995 SV Salzburg
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1995–1996 SV Salzburg 1 (0)
1995 → Vorwärts Steyr (loan) 5 (0)
1996–1997 Grazer AK 24 (0)
1997–2002 Arsenal 30 (0)
2001–2002 → Fiorentina (loan) 24 (0)
2002 Espanyol 0 (0)
2003 Torino 3 (0)
2003–2005 Bologna 0 (0)
2004–2005 → Siena (loan) 19 (0)
2005–2006 Red Bull Salzburg 16 (0)
2006–2008 Siena 64 (0)
2008 Red Bull Salzburg 0 (0)
2008 Udinese 0 (0)
2008–2012 Juventus 27 (0)
2012– FC Augsburg 34 (0)
International career
1999–2009 Austria 33 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 30 April 2015

Alexander "Alex" Manninger (born 4 June 1977) is an Austrian professional football goalkeeper who plays for FC Augsburg. He played internationally for Austria on 33 occasions, including at Euro 2008, and has represented top division sides in Italy, Germany, Austria and England.

Club career

Salzburg, Steyr and Graz

Manninger started his career as a youth player for SV Austria Salzburg in 1993. He was promoted to the first-team squad at the start of the 1995–1996 season. After his debut, 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. At the start of 1996–97 season he signed for Grazer, making his debut in place of the unfit first-choice keeper, in the autumn 1996 UEFA Cup second round game against Internazionale Milano at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in Milan. He made twenty-four appearances in his lone season with Grazer, before a high-profile transfer to Arsenal in the Premier League, where he was understudy to the experienced David Seaman.

Arsenal, Fiorentina and Espanyol

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 last 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.[1] However, Manninger had to make way for Seaman once the Englishman returned from injury. Despite only having played 7 games in the 1997–98 FA Premier League season (10 is required to automatically qualify for a winners' medal), Manninger was granted special dispensation for a medal as his contribution to Arsenal's title win was considered to be significant enough. He also made 5 appearances in Arsenal's FA Cup run. The highlight for Manninger came in the quarter final replay at West Ham United. The game went to penalties and he saved Eyal Berkovic's kick (John Hartson and Samassi Abou also hit the post)[2] to help Arsenal through to the semi finals. He was on the bench as Arsenal won the 1998 FA Cup Final to complete the double.

Manninger continued to deputise for Seaman for the next three seasons. He made sixty-four appearances over four seasons for Arsenal. After the Gunners bought Richard Wright in 2001,[1] Manninger became number three at Arsenal, and spent the 2001–2002 season on loan at Italian side ACF Fiorentina, where he made twenty-four appearances for the Tuscan club.[3]

In July 2002 RCD Espanyol signed Manninger on a four-year deal for £960,000.[4] However, he was released after just two months at Espanyol without making a first team appearance with Manniger claiming that the Barcelona-based club had renaged on the contract.[5][6]

Torino, Bologna, Siena and Salzburg

Manninger subsequently joined Italian side Torino F.C. in Serie A in January 2003,[7] and remained with them until the end 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 short loan 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 parent club Bologna and during season 2005–06 he made sixteen appearances.

Return to Siena, Udinese and Juventus

Manninger returned to A.C. Siena, in the Italian Serie A, this time on a permanent basis for the 2006–07 season. He started the season as the club's first choice keeper but he was injured and replaced by Greek international, Dimitrios Eleftheropoulos who retained the first team goalkeeper's jersey once Manniger was fit again. He was first choice again at the start of 2007–08 season, ahead of Eleftheropolous, and Anssi Jaakkola and in a two-year spell at Siena, Manninger made nearly 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 just two weeks before signing for Juventus of Turin.

Manninger was signed by Juventus as backup for Gianluigi Buffon and Chimenti in August 2008.[8] A long-term injury to Buffon resulted in Manninger playing for the first XI from early October 2008 through to late February 2009 and during his tenure with Juve Manniger made thirty-five appearances in all competitions. He was released at the end of the 2011–12 season.

Augsburg

After four months without a club, Manninger signed for German Bundesliga side FC Augsburg to cover for an injury to regular first choice Simon Jentzsch. He made his competitive debut for the Bavarian-based side in a DFB-Pokal home match against FC Bayern Munich on 18 December 2012.

International career

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 international football for the Austria national football team on 5 August 2009.

National team statistics

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

Arsenal
Juventus

References

  1. ^ a b "A complete history of goalkeeping at Arsene Wenger's Arsenal". sport.co.uk. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
  2. ^ "West Ham 1 Arsenal 1 (aet, 3-4 on penalties)". Sporting Life. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  3. ^ "Manninger completes Fiorentina switch". BBC Sport. 7 August 2001. Retrieved 16 June 2008.
  4. ^ "Manninger joins Espanyol". BBC Sport. 4 July 2002. Retrieved 16 June 2008.
  5. ^ "Espanyol release Manninger". BBC Sport. 23 August 2002. Retrieved 16 June 2008.
  6. ^ Kendall, Mark. "Alex breaks silence on Espanyol fiasco". Sky Sports. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  7. ^ "Manninger joins Torino". BBC Sport. 14 January 2003. Retrieved 16 June 2008.
  8. ^ "Manninger swaps Udinese for Juve". UEFA.com. 5 August 2008. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
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