5 things about big Austrian hero Sasa Kalajdzic
With Algeria leading 3-2 thanks to a 93rd-minute goal in their last group game, Austria were a few minutes away from World Cup elimination. Sasa Kalajdzic then popped up with the biggest goal of his career to secure a draw and a last-32 spot. Who is this giant who produced the colossal goal?
Sign up now: Get the biggest sports news in your inbox
Sasa Kalajdzic is mobbed by his Austria teammates after scoring the winner in the 3-2 victory over Algeria, a result that sends them to the last 32 of the 2026 World Cup.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Sasa Kalajdzic is a two-metre striker who scored a late equaliser to help Austria draw Algeria 3-3 and qualify for the last 32 of this World Cup.
- He was a midfielder before he became a striker, and has won the Austrian league while on loan with LASK.
- He has suffered three serious knee injuries in his career, which cost him almost 1,000 days away from training and competition.
AI generated
1. He is huge
Standing at two metres, Kalajdzic is easily inside the top 10 biggest players at this World Cup. And the 28-year-old put that to good use by nodding in the dramatic late equaliser.
According to Fifa, his compatriot, goalkeeper Florian Wiegele (2.05m) is the tallest player to make a World Cup squad. Next up are England defender Dan Burn, Colombia custodian Alvaro Montero and Bosnia and Herzegovina centre-back Stjepan Radeljic, who are all 2.01m.
2. He used to be a midfielder
Kalajdzic, who was born to Bosnian parents in Austria’s capital Vienna, initially played as a midfielder for Admira Wacker before being converted into a striker by his former coach Ernst Baumeister.
With 67 goals and 42 assists in 195 games at club level, it was not a bad switch. He has five goals in 24 appearances for his national team, with his latest one being priceless.
3. He is a joker
After scoring the goal that sent Austria through to the knockout rounds, he joked that he had taken “500 slaps”, referring to the countless pats on the back he received after his goal.
He added: “I think I’ll have to see if I need to go to the hospital with the doc now to check for a possible concussion.”
Kalajdzic appears to be quite the character as The Guardian reported his hilarious response when being asked why he could not put his phone down during a post-match interview after scoring twice for VfB Stuttgart against Union Berlin. His reply: “I forgot to put myself in my fantasy league team. I’m such an idiot.”
4. He has had to overcome numerous knee injuries
Shortly after signing for Stuttgart in 2019, he tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee during pre-season. He was out for 10 months, but recovered to register 24 goals and 12 assists in 60 games for the German club over four season.
He injured the same knee again in 2022 on his English Premier League debut for Wolverhampton Wanderers.
In 2024, he ruptured the ACL in his right knee while on loan at Eintracht Frankfurt, taking the total number of days that knee injuries had put him out of action to more than 1,000.
But Kalajdzic bounced back strongly to win the Austrian league and cup double while on loan with LASK, notching seven goals and 11 assists in 27 games, made it to the World Cup, and hauled them to the last 32.
5. He has experience with great escapes
In the final round of the 2021-22 Bundesliga season, he scored the opener for Stuttgart before teammate Wataru Endo’s 92nd-minute winner helped them beat FC Cologne 2-1. Still they needed Borussia Dortmund to beat Hertha Berlin 2-1 to avoid the relegation play-off at Hertha’s expense.
After his World Cup heroics, Kalajdzic said: “It was definitely one of the best moments of my career. Comparable to the game with Stuttgart against Cologne, when we secured our place in the league at the last minute. That was just as great.”
Dive into all the sporting action and trends in Singapore with ST’s weekly newsletter.
