Xaver Schlager
Austrian footballer (born 1997)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Xaver Schlager (German pronunciation: [ˈksaːvɐ ˈʃlaːɡɐ];[2][3] born 28 September 1997) is an Austrian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Premier League club Nottingham Forest and the Austria national team.
|
Schlager with Austria in 2018 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 28 September 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | Linz, Upper Austria, Austria | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Central midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Nottingham Forest | ||
| Number | 21 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2003–2009 | St. Valentin | ||
| 2009–2015 | Red Bull Salzburg | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2017 | FC Liefering | 46 | (7) |
| 2016–2019 | Red Bull Salzburg | 67 | (7) |
| 2019–2022 | VfL Wolfsburg | 69 | (3) |
| 2022–2026 | RB Leipzig | 81 | (4) |
| 2026– | Nottingham Forest | 1 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2013 | Austria U17 | 4 | (2) |
| 2015–2016 | Austria U19 | 11 | (2) |
| 2017–2019 | Austria U21 | 9 | (2) |
| 2018– | Austria | 55 | (4) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 19:50, 22 August 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 11:50, 3 July 2026 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Red Bull Salzburg
After playing for the youth team of St. Valentin, Schlager joined the Red Bull Salzburg Academy in 2011, where he played in all teams. In 2015, Schlager was transferred to FC Liefering, the feeder team of Red Bull Salzburg.[4]
During the 2017–18 season, Salzburg had their best ever European campaign. They finished top of their Europa League group, for a record fourth time, before beating Real Sociedad and Borussia Dortmund thus making their first ever appearance in the UEFA Europa League semi-final.[5] On 3 May 2018, he played in the Europa League semi-finals as Marseille beat Salzburg 3–2 on aggregate to secure a place in the final.[6]
VfL Wolfsburg
On the 26 June 2019, Schlager signed for Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg.[7] During his time with Wolfsburg, Schlager made 81 appearances in all competitions, including 69 in the Bundesliga.[8] He missed 20 league matches through injury during his final season, but still averaged 27 pressures per game whilst producing a goal and two assists.[8]
RB Leipzig
On 17 June 2022, Schlager joined Bundesliga rivals RB Leipzig, after the club activated a release clause in his Wolfsburg contract, signing a contract until 2026.[9] Schlager helped Leipzig to win the German Cup and German Super Cup in 2023, starting the latter, coming on as substitute in the former.
On 3 May 2024, Schlager was playing for Leipzig against TSG Hoffenheim, when he was substituted off with an injury in an eventual 1–1 draw.[10] Later tests confirmed that his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) was torn and he underwent surgery, subsequently missing the European Championship in the summer.[11]
In February 2026, Leipzig announced that Schlager would leave the club when his contract would expire in June.[12]
Nottingham Forest
On 23 July 2026, Schlager joined Premier League side Nottingham Forest as a free agent on a two-year contract.[13] He reunited with Oliver Glasner, who previously was his manager at Wolfsburg.
International career
On 23 March 2018, Schlager debuted for the Austrian senior squad in a friendly 3–0 victory over Slovenia.[14] The same year on 18 September, he scored his first goal in a 2018–19 UEFA Nations League match against Northern Ireland.[15]
He was not included in the 26-man squad for the UEFA Euro 2024, having sustained an ACL injury.[11]
On 18 May 2026, Schlager was selected in Ralf Rangnick’s 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, marking Austria’s first appearance in the tournament since 1998.[16]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 25 August 2026[17]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| FC Liefering | 2014–15 | Austrian First League | 11 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 11 | 0 | ||||
| 2015–16 | Austrian First League | 22 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 22 | 3 | |||||
| 2016–17 | Austrian First League | 11 | 4 | — | — | — | — | 11 | 4 | |||||
| 2017–18 | Austrian First League | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 46 | 7 | — | — | — | — | 46 | 7 | ||||||
| Red Bull Salzburg | 2015–16 | Austrian Bundesliga | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | Austrian Bundesliga | 13 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 2[c] | 1 | — | 17 | 2 | |||
| 2017–18 | Austrian Bundesliga | 26 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | 14[c] | 0 | — | 44 | 1 | |||
| 2018–19 | Austrian Bundesliga | 26 | 5 | 6 | 2 | — | 12[d] | 1 | — | 44 | 8 | |||
| Total | 67 | 7 | 12 | 2 | — | 28 | 2 | — | 107 | 11 | ||||
| VfL Wolfsburg II | 2019–20 | Regionalliga Nord | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| VfL Wolfsburg | 2019–20 | Bundesliga | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 5[c] | 0 | — | 28 | 1 | ||
| 2020–21 | Bundesliga | 32 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | 3[c] | 0 | — | 38 | 2 | |||
| 2021–22 | Bundesliga | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 15 | 0 | |||
| Total | 69 | 3 | 4 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | — | 81 | 3 | ||||
| RB Leipzig | 2022–23 | Bundesliga | 22 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | 7[e] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 1 | |
| 2023–24 | Bundesliga | 29 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 8[e] | 1 | 1[f] | 0 | 40 | 1 | ||
| 2024–25 | Bundesliga | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | |||
| 2025–26 | Bundesliga | 26 | 3 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 30 | 3 | ||||
| Total | 81 | 4 | 11 | 0 | — | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 108 | 5 | |||
| Nottingham Forest | 2026–27 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 265 | 21 | 27 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 51 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 345 | 26 | ||
- Includes Austrian Cup, DFB-Pokal
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- Four appearances in UEFA Champions League, eight appearances one goal in UEFA Europa League
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- Appearance in DFL-Supercup
International
- As of match played 2 July 2026
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 2018 | 7 | 1 |
| 2019 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2023 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2025 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2026 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 55 | 4 | |
- As of match played 26 March 2024
- Scores and results list Austria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Schlager goal.[18]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 November 2018 | Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland |  Northern Ireland | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2018–19 UEFA Nations League B |
| 2 | 6 June 2022 | Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria |  Denmark | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League A |
| 3 | 20 November 2022 | Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria |  Italy | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 4 | 26 March 2024 | Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria |  Turkey | 1–0 | 6–1 | Friendly |
