Former Arsenal and Liverpool goalkeeper Alex Manninger has died, 48 years old. He died after his car was hit by a train in Austria on Thursday morning.
The accident occurred in Nussdorf am Haunsberg, a municipality about two miles north of Salzburg, around half past nine on Thursday morning.
A train on Salzburg’s local railway collided with a VW Multivan at a small, unmanned level crossing shortly after a stop. After the collision, the vehicle was pushed several meters.
About 25 passengers on the train and the train driver emerged from the accident unharmed. The driver of the VW Multivan, on the other hand, was stuck in his car and had to be freed by first aiders before he was attempted to be resuscitated with a defibrillator.
Police spokeswoman Ingrid Planitzer confirmed that the driver of the vehicle later died from his serious injuries.
“It’s essentially a service road that crosses the local train line there,” Matthias Ganisl, head of the Nussdorf volunteer fire brigade, explained to Salzburger Nachrichten. “If you continue along that road, you will come to several holiday homes and some fish ponds.”
Manninger joined Arsenal from Austrian club Grazer AK in 1997, and he made 64 appearances for the Gunners. He was part of the Arsenal team that won both the Premier League and the FA Cup in 1998.
In an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport earlier this month, Manninger spoke warmly about his time at Arsenal:
“It makes me emotional just thinking about it,” he said. “I was 20 years old—a child. Wenger wanted to give the club an international dimension and focused on young players. I was one of them. Arsène even introduced a training camp, which was unusual for the Premier League at the time. I have to say that, despite my age, I felt comfortable in the goal. In front of me, I had a giant like Tony Adams. He taught me an incredible amount. I have only one regret – that I left too early. But, you know, I wanted to play.”
Manninger, who also played 33 caps for Austria, ended his career at Liverpool in 2017.
Peter Schottel, sporting director of the Austrian Football Association, stated:
“Alexander Manninger was an outstanding ambassador for Austrian football, both on and off the pitch. His international career set standards and inspired and influenced many young goalkeepers. His professionalism, composure and reliability made him an integral part of the teams he played for, and of the national team. His achievements deserve the utmost respect and will never be forgotten. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time.”
