Key Takeaways
- Austrian keeper Alex Manninger, 48, died after a train hit his car near Salzburg on Monday morning.
- He played 64 matches for Arsenal, winning the 1997-98 Premier League and FA Cup, and earned 33 caps for Austria.
- Tributes have arrived from Arsenal, Juventus, Liverpool and Red Bull Salzburg, clubs he served across a 20-year career.
Former Arsenal goalkeeper Alexander Manninger has died at the age of 48 following a collision between his car and a train at a level crossing in his native Austria.
Police in Salzburg say the crash happened at about 08:20 local time. Emergency crews pulled Manninger from the wreck and used a defibrillator, but they could not save him. He was the only person in the car; the train driver was not hurt.
Manninger began football with hometown side Red Bull Salzburg and later guarded the net for 14 different teams, including Siena, Udinese, Augsburg, Juventus and Liverpool, whom he joined as emergency cover in 2016 without making an appearance.
Between 1997 and 2002 he wore the Arsenal shirt 64 times. With David Seaman injured late in the 1997-98 campaign, Manninger stepped in and impressed, notably keeping a clean sheet in a 1-0 league win at Manchester United. His March 1998 form earned him the Premier League Player of the Month award, and the club granted him a winner’s medal even though he had not reached the usual appearance threshold.
At international level he won 33 caps and was Austria’s third-choice keeper at Euro 2008. For Juventus he provided able cover for Gianluigi Buffon, playing 42 games when the Italian was injured.
Peter Schottel, sporting director of the Austrian Football Association, called Manninger “an outstanding ambassador for Austrian football” and praised his “professionalism, composure and reliability.”
Arsenal posted on social media: “Everyone at Arsenal is shocked and deeply saddened … All our thoughts are with his family.” Juventus described the news as “terribly sad,” adding, “He leaves us as a man of rare values: humility, dedication and extraordinary professional seriousness.” Liverpool and Red Bull Salzburg also sent condolences.