Baumgartner misses the World Cup, but accompanies Austria's team to the USA

On June 3, Baumgartner was operated on by a specialist in Turku, Finland. An MRI the following day confirmed the severity of the injury. According to media reports, a break of four to five months is to be expected. Over the coming two weeks, Baumgartner will continue to rely on crutches. He has begun his rehabilitation in California, where he was accompanied by his club RB Leipzig, according to their own statements.

Despite the setback, the 58-cap ÖFB international (19 goals) deliberately decided to travel with the team to the USA. "I'm in the best hands here, I'll do everything I can to get fit as quickly as possible, and I can still live my dream, even if it's different, but I can still experience it," said Baumgartner. He joined the ÖFB team hotel in Goleta with his club's approval, one week after the operation.

Trip to the USA despite diagnosis

"That was an incredible blow for me," Baumgartner described the moment of diagnosis. "When missing the World Cup became certain, it was an absolute shock," he added in the conversation. Before the injury, he had missed only around 20 games in his professional career and had never suffered a serious injury. "I definitely knew something had happened. But I didn't expect it to actually be a major muscle injury. It was an absolute shock, no question."

In California, Baumgartner has found a new role for himself. He observes training, exchanges views with the assistant coaches, and passes his impressions on to the squad. "I've already spoken with the assistant coaches about what I notice. But I also know what my role is. What is done with the information is then up to the coach. But yes, I'm grateful to be here," he explained. He watched the internal test match on his laptop.

New role in the team

"Enough with the sympathy now. I've had enough of that, I don't want anyone else saying they're sorry. I just want to look forward now," said Baumgartner. When asked about his role during the tournament, he answered with a mixture of seriousness and gallows humor: "In any case, I will be 'the biggest fan of the team.' 'If we score a goal, that will probably be the most dangerous phase of my rehab, when I jump up like an idiot.'"

Dejan Ljubicic was called up as a replacement for Baumgartner. Team boss Ralf Rangnick reached the 28-year-old by phone at 7 a.m., while he was sleeping on a beach holiday in Croatia. Ljubicic missed the first call and only saw it on the display. "Missing a call from the team boss 'won't happen to me again,'" said Ljubicic. He then flew from Split via Vienna to Los Angeles, a journey of around twelve hours in total.

Ljubicic steps in

Ljubicic is a versatile player who can play in midfield and as a full-back. The 28-year-old had moved from 1. FC Köln to Dinamo Zagreb last summer and transferred to Schalke 04 in the winter, with whom he celebrated promotion to the German Bundesliga in the spring. "I'm here to support the team ... I'll give everything and I'm really looking forward to the first game, and to showing who Austria is out there," said Ljubicic. His ninth and most recent international to date was in September 2023 in Linz against Moldova (1:1).

"That 'Baumi' got injured, I'm incredibly sorry, because he is an unbelievably important player for us," said Ljubicic about his injured teammate. He arrived at the team camp on Thursday and joined team training on Friday. With the World Cup opener on Tuesday in Santa Clara against Jordan (kickoff 6:00 p.m. local time, 00:00 CET on Wednesday) approaching, the team faces an unusual situation: an important player is missing through injury, while another is back in the squad after a long absence.

The role Baumgartner is now taking on is not entirely new within the Austrian team. After his cruciate ligament rupture at Euro 2024 in Germany, David Alaba had also helped out at the team hotel in Berlin. "Just as David Alaba did after his cruciate ligament rupture at Euro 2024, Baumgartner also wants to actively help," the reports state. For Baumgartner, in the end, only one thing matters: "That was my big dream from the start, I simply want to experience it, I want to be with the guys."

Baumgartner himself formulates the demands of his recovery soberly: "I don't want to put any pressure on myself at all. For me, the most important thing is simply to be back on the pitch. And that's what counts. Whether it's earlier or later, the process will show. I'm in very, very good hands. That's already very, very important. And yes, as I said, it will take some time."