“I am a true Austrian, Vienna is the most beautiful city for me – that’s why it was always my goal to hang up my football boots here one day, but I don’t want to think that far ahead yet, right now I want to help Austria,” said the central defender with Serbian roots, who most recently played for Red Star Belgrade and moved to the Austrian Bundesliga club on a free transfer.
In 2011, Dragovic went abroad, where he played for FC Basel, Dynamo Kiev, Bayer Leverkusen, Leicester City and Red Star. In total, he won nine championships. David Alaba is the only Austrian to have done this more often. “‘Drago’ has played for the Austrian national team 100 times – we don’t need to talk about his quality. We are happy that we have managed to bring him back home and to keep him at the club even after his career as an active footballer,” said sporting director Manuel Ortlechner. It is not clear what role he will play.
“I try to be a role model”
The young father was delighted about his comeback at his favorite club, which he joined when he was six years old. “I try to be a role model every day – at home for my son and from now on also here at the club for our young players.”
GEPA/Wolfgang Jannach In 2008, Dragovic started his professional career at Austria, in 2011 he went abroad, now he is back
Dragovic made his debut for Austria in 2008 under Karl Daxbacher at the age of 17 and left the “Veilchen” in 2011. Dragovic played his last of his 100 international matches against Scotland in March 2022 under Franco Foda. The defender did not play under ÖFB team boss Ralf Rangnick and openly criticized this. Before the friendly against Serbia in early June, however, he was honored for his round number of appearances.
After winning three doubles in three years, Dragovic let his contract with Red Star Belgrade expire at the end of the season and has since then been aiming to return to Vienna. At Austria, Dragovic is expected to stabilize the defense, which has not always been rock-solid recently, and to lead the way as a leader.
Not yet present in the EC return match
In the 1:2 defeat last week in the second round of the Conference League qualification, the Viennese slipped up before conceding both goals. The return match is scheduled for Wednesday (8.30 p.m., live on ORF1), but Dragovic is not yet eligible to play in this one. Austria will start the Bundesliga season on Sunday (5 p.m.) with an away match at Blau-Weiß Linz.
