Hans Krankl may be Austria’s best central striker ever. Germany were made aware of this in 1978, when his two goals eliminated West Germany from the World Cup. A year later Krankl won the European Cup Winners’ Cup with FC Barcelona and later became a manager, also working in Germany.
The 61-year-old spoke about Austria’s rivals, his nation’s current footballing prowess and football’s development through the years. He also gave a prediction for Germany’s and Austria’s EURO 2016 qualifying bid.
DFB.de: Mr. Krankl, in the past 36 years have you ever had an interview with a German journalist where “Córdoba” was not mentioned?
Hans Krankl: No, that is yet to happen. And apparently it won’t be the case today either (laughs).
DFB.de: No, but it doesn’t bother you that much, right?
Hans Krankl: Its part of football history and for us Austrian’s certainly even more than that. We are proud of that game, proud of our victory. And of course I’m happy to have played a small role in it. We hadn’t won against Germany in 47 years and it doesn’t happen often that we play better than the Germans. Neither side forgets when the younger brother beats the older brother playing football in the yard. But I’ve also always said that the meaning of this victory should not exceed the sport. It was a special moment in time and for me that is all that it was.
DFB.de: What is your verdict on Austria’s current football team?
Hans Krankl: It’s the best team in years. I think we have 18 or 20 players currently playing abroad. They don’t all play for big clubs, but David Alaba for example plays for FC Bayern. He’s a young kid and already a Champions League winner. Our players improve when playing abroad. That’s the simple truth. However: The team has not yet played to our expectation – which is to qualify for a major tournament.
Hans Krankl may be Austria’s best central striker ever. Germany were made aware of this in 1978, when his two goals eliminated West Germany from the World Cup. A year later Krankl won the European Cup Winners’ Cup with FC Barcelona and later became a manager, also working in Germany.
The 61-year-old spoke about Austria’s rivals, his nation’s current footballing prowess and football’s development through the years. He also gave a prediction for Germany’s and Austria’s EURO 2016 qualifying bid.
DFB.de: Mr. Krankl, in the past 36 years have you ever had an interview with a German journalist where “Córdoba” was not mentioned?
Hans Krankl: No, that is yet to happen. And apparently it won’t be the case today either (laughs).
DFB.de: No, but it doesn’t bother you that much, right?
Hans Krankl: Its part of football history and for us Austrian’s certainly even more than that. We are proud of that game, proud of our victory. And of course I’m happy to have played a small role in it. We hadn’t won against Germany in 47 years and it doesn’t happen often that we play better than the Germans. Neither side forgets when the younger brother beats the older brother playing football in the yard. But I’ve also always said that the meaning of this victory should not exceed the sport. It was a special moment in time and for me that is all that it was.
DFB.de: What is your verdict on Austria’s current football team?
Hans Krankl: It’s the best team in years. I think we have 18 or 20 players currently playing abroad. They don’t all play for big clubs, but David Alaba for example plays for FC Bayern. He’s a young kid and already a Champions League winner. Our players improve when playing abroad. That’s the simple truth. However: The team has not yet played to our expectation – which is to qualify for a major tournament.
DFB.de: What is it like watching a tournament and Austria aren’t taking part? Are you rooting for Germany then?
Hans Krankl: I always favour Spain and Italy first. My heart belongs to them. I spend a lot of time in Italy and that’s where I watched the recent World Cup in Brazil. I hoisted a Spanish and an Italian flag, which I was unfortunately forced to take down rather quickly again (laughs). However, it’s not the case that every Austrian is rooting against Germany. That’s nonsense. Their new style of play, attractive football, has resulted in lots of admiration from Austrian’s towards Germany.
DFB.de: How has football developed through the years?
Hans Krankl: Every five, six or seven year’s football goes through a type of progress or development. That has always been the case. We still had man-marking in my days like Karlheinz Förster for example. He would have followed me to the bathroom if I had gone during a game. If I would have been subbed off, he would have sat down on the bench next to me. That’s what it was like back then. The game then shifted to zonal marking. The Dutch started this trend and the French followed suit. Italy introduced the four-man backline under manager Arrigo Sacchi. And then pressing – more pressing, faster pressing and further up the pitch.
DFB.de: A lot of Austrians play in the Bundesliga. How come you never played in Germany?
Hans Krankl: I preferred to join FC Barcelona. But to be honest: I had offers from Germany. As a youngster I was offered a contract at Fortuna Düsseldorf. After my time in Barcelona I was in contact with Hamburger SV and their manager Ernst Happel. But it didn’t work out.
DFB.de: Last question: Will Germany and Austria both qualify for the EURO 2016?
Hans Krankl: Germany will qualify. I’m certain of that. And Austria will as well. They have to this time. The team is good enough and if they don’t manage to qualify this time around, when will they?
